If T20 is already more popular than County Cricket, then why is County Cricket still being played? My guess is that most of the English adminstrators like County Cricket as it's the historical backbone of the English summer, that the players still like it because they hope to play Test cricket one day, and they can't do that by solely playing ODDs and T20s, and that a lot of cricket fans are still following it, regardless of how many drift in to the stands.

Besides, there's usually a flow-on effect to these sorts of things, isn't there- people who've had all the wrong ideas about cricket, who've never been to a game before, see a T20 match, like it, start to learn some of the players' names, start following them in County Cricket and develop a taste for it, too. Now I don't know how big a proportion of these fans will be affected this way, but it will surely- surely- affect some.

I think economically it would be pretty difficult to justify 4-day county cricket whether or not Twenty20 was being paid (but note that I haven't lived in England for almost twenty years, and I don't really know the financial position of the game or any of the county clubs).

When Twenty20 was introduced a few years ago, I said several times here that, although I was not much interested in it, I could see it as a way of introducing people to cricket: it has worked at least in the case of my now thirteen year old nephew, who would never have concentrated even on a fifty over game when he was eight but was quite able to manage three hours or so. To the extent that Twenty20 works as an entry level form of the game, I supported it then and still support it now. However, what should have been an entry level "side-show" supporting the longer forms of the game is in danger of taking over and squeezing out the longer forms of the game altogether. The game does not need that, but the huge money which is being thrown around in the Twenty20 makes it inevitable, I think.

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Money won't buy you friends. But it gets you a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

I'm glad that you used the "entry'level" phrase, because I think a very good metaphor for first-class and Test cricket is Jaguar cars. Not only are they very traditional and very English, they're also relatively unprofitable. In fact, they made rather a large loss last year. But despite that, they're still being produced. They've even designed a brand new model to come out this year. And the reason for this is that there's still a definite niche demand for them, which is why you still see them on the streets.

So what does this have to do with first-class and Test cricket? Because if they become niche sports, they'll still have a following. Quite a significant one, in fact, one that includes most players and adminstatrors, and I suspect that the televisers like them as a convenient way of filling in five days of their schedule. While I think there's room for improvement in the way Test cricket is handled, it seems to me that most people involved in the running of the game want it to continue to be a part of cricket- even if it isn't as profitable as T20s. So just as Jaguar's new owners haven't given up on that brand, I'm not going to give up on this one.

Well I've said my piece, and it's pretty clear to me that I'm not going to convince you of anything, nor you of me, so I might as well sign off for this thread here. Thanks for an interesting discussion, though. Made me use my little grey cells more than once!

Aurelius - I hope you're right! For sure, it's the five day version of the game that attracts me: it would be a dreadful thing to lose.

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Money won't buy you friends. But it gets you a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

Ian Chappell writes more sensibly on this topic than everyone else I read put together: see Cricinfo - Twenty20 can't be the main event

Cricinfo - ICL and IPL tempt England players

A very worrying article, the title explains it really, 35% say they would consider retiring from the national scene to join the IPL one day, where as 18% would risk a year long ban to play in the ICL.

As this was a poll from over 300 players, including all the current England side, its quite a worrying stat, considering its just started its regime a few weeks back.

Year or 2 down the line, imagine what could happen?

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Hoggy Hoggy Hoggy...OI OI OI!!!

navsites.co.uk <<< Join, post and have fun

I think you guys are taking the issue a little too seriously. I cant see a breakway coming in anyway. And I really believe that 20-20, International Test cricket and the IPL could all co-exist. As for if it does happen, I wont bet against bcci pumping in even larger sums of money into IPL. And as was the case in the 70's and 80's during world series cricket, money will win for sure.

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"They look like a team destined to win the world cup"......
Ian Chappel during Ind v SA in the World Cup 20-20

Just read it. He explains it perfectly indeed.

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"They look like a team destined to win the world cup"......
Ian Chappel during Ind v SA in the World Cup 20-20

Can't agree i am afraid foxy. When all the cash is being generated through a game that hardly remembles cricket, that's what will cause the split.

First the money will be ploughed into the shareholders,"or brokers" I can't see any money will be used to develop Test cricket - and furthermore the new 20/20 AKA soccer fans won't want Test cricket developed.

Money talks, and I can see Test cricket being 'jaw jawed' away.

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Ern

Cant say about 50 over cricket, but the purists will always want to watch test cricket, and the players also would want to do well in test cricket. Even during the world series breakaway, many thought that it would be the end of test cricket, but it survived in its purest form, if any thing test cricket started to get more and more results which wasnt the case earlier. I can well see test cricket and 20-20 co-existing.

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"They look like a team destined to win the world cup"......
Ian Chappel during Ind v SA in the World Cup 20-20