The game of cricket, is one of the oldest sports in the world, can date its origins all the way to the 1500s where it was played in small villages in England. From those humble beginnings in small British villages now known as Sussex, the game of cricket now boasts an estimated fan base of around two and half billion fans according to a research report by topendsports.com. Now, cricket has become the second most popular sport in the world. People from all over the world play and follow cricket. Cricket enjoys a large following in Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom – including the majority of commonwealth countries. The sport is played religiously in India, Australia, and England and together they constitute the big three in world cricket.
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Shemilt and Gheerbrant write, “Once West Indies were the dominant force in the five-day game - famously going 15 years without losing a Test series from 1980-95. Now, with the best players preferring to play in T20 competitions around the globe, the team - ranked eighth in Tests - appears further than ever from touching those heights, and crowds are at an all-time low.” Before big money was a part of cricket, the West Indies were on top of the test cricket world. Few could challenge their dominance in the format. However, with more and more money rushing into the game, the focus has shifted away from test cricket, which generates less money, to other forms of cricket such as T20 or fifty overs that generate significantly more money. One can legitimately argue that this influx of money into T20 has been a leading cause for the decline of test cricket. Michael Holding, a legendary West Indian fast bowler, said in an interview for the documentary “Death of a Gentleman” that “I fear for the importance and relevance of test cricket in today’s game”. During Holding’s time as a professional test cricket was the pinnacle of cricket. Now, however, that is not the case as shorter formats have taken its place as the premier sporting events. Furthermore, this decline in test cricket is not just felt in the Caribbean; Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have felt this decline also. The fire to play test cricket is …show more content…
Companies are amoral entities that are driven by the notion of profit maximization. The only responsibility the corporation has is to their employer (shareholders) not the community. The ICC, on the other hand, strives to promote cricket as a sport and to provide world class cricket to the world. Their mission is compromised when the organization starts to prefer the T20 format over others. Yes, it creates more revenue for countries and the sport, however, it hurts the game of cricket overall as it decreases the significance of test cricket – true cricket. Guardians of cricket, the ICC is faltering in its mission to protect the sport. Instead of acting as a neutral governing board, the ICC is turning into a corporation which is set on profit maximization. The ICC shamelessly promotes T20 while neglecting test cricket. Test cricket is in danger of becoming obsolete and needs revamping. West Indies cricketing legend, Sir Clive Lloyd in a press conference in Australia discussed the decline of West Indies test cricket. He claims the decline is due to the emergence of twenty over cricket as well as the large sums of money offered to players to play that format. Essentially, players are not encouraged enough to pursue that form of cricket. Kevin Pieterson, former skipper of the English national team, urges the ICC to
Shemilt and Gheerbrant write, “Once West Indies were the dominant force in the five-day game - famously going 15 years without losing a Test series from 1980-95. Now, with the best players preferring to play in T20 competitions around the globe, the team - ranked eighth in Tests - appears further than ever from touching those heights, and crowds are at an all-time low.” Before big money was a part of cricket, the West Indies were on top of the test cricket world. Few could challenge their dominance in the format. However, with more and more money rushing into the game, the focus has shifted away from test cricket, which generates less money, to other forms of cricket such as T20 or fifty overs that generate significantly more money. One can legitimately argue that this influx of money into T20 has been a leading cause for the decline of test cricket. Michael Holding, a legendary West Indian fast bowler, said in an interview for the documentary “Death of a Gentleman” that “I fear for the importance and relevance of test cricket in today’s game”. During Holding’s time as a professional test cricket was the pinnacle of cricket. Now, however, that is not the case as shorter formats have taken its place as the premier sporting events. Furthermore, this decline in test cricket is not just felt in the Caribbean; Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have felt this decline also. The fire to play test cricket is …show more content…
Companies are amoral entities that are driven by the notion of profit maximization. The only responsibility the corporation has is to their employer (shareholders) not the community. The ICC, on the other hand, strives to promote cricket as a sport and to provide world class cricket to the world. Their mission is compromised when the organization starts to prefer the T20 format over others. Yes, it creates more revenue for countries and the sport, however, it hurts the game of cricket overall as it decreases the significance of test cricket – true cricket. Guardians of cricket, the ICC is faltering in its mission to protect the sport. Instead of acting as a neutral governing board, the ICC is turning into a corporation which is set on profit maximization. The ICC shamelessly promotes T20 while neglecting test cricket. Test cricket is in danger of becoming obsolete and needs revamping. West Indies cricketing legend, Sir Clive Lloyd in a press conference in Australia discussed the decline of West Indies test cricket. He claims the decline is due to the emergence of twenty over cricket as well as the large sums of money offered to players to play that format. Essentially, players are not encouraged enough to pursue that form of cricket. Kevin Pieterson, former skipper of the English national team, urges the ICC to