Please, please read Vian’s post below.
But to let you know a couple of things.
First – the record for monthly hits was passed around 4pm today with three full days in the month remaining. Many thanks.
Second – We have a new Twitter Feed – @OutsideCricket . We are hoping to link all posts on there and make it an area we can exchange views. We have followed some already, so follow us back!
Now – read the man…..
Being Outside Cricket 
Where is Vian’s post??
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The one below Julie. It’s this username on here as Vian was taken.
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In other news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/11566964/ICC-fears-split-in-world-cricket-after-rival-Twenty20-backers-break-cover.html#disqus_thread
“However, the ICC is vulnerable at the moment due to its recent restructuring which sees the majority of revenue shared by India, England and Australia. It makes the other established cricket countries more open to a tempting offer from elsewhere and it is these nations that already have links to Essel through their contracts with Ten Sports.
The ECB could hit back by threatening to pull out of its series with Pakistan or South Africa this year if the boards in those countries do not persuade Essel to abandon its plan.”
But the experts told us it was better to have India inside the tent pissing out, and other lazy clichés!
Oh, and ECB in “might shit all over South Africa again” shocker.
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I wouldn’t blame the ‘not-big-three’ if they decided to back a separate structure – bring in the likes of Ireland who the ICC seem happy to hold back, the dutch etc, try and push the game in the USA & China?
Would be painfully entertaining to see the Ind / Eng / Aus old boys club to wither as they don’t ahve anyone else to play.
All told a schism in the world game would not help anyone – but the ICC (much like fifa?) don’t appear fit for purpose. How much of the world cup was spent discussing how the ICC want to limit associate nations from future events as opposed to grow the game? Some of the most entertaining games were assoc v assoc, while some of the worst were, well England….
It has to be accepted that sometimes the assocs will not produce the goods, but hey ho – more money for the ‘big three’.
Why are associates not encouraged to play ‘mini’ tests against the full members ‘lions’ type squads. Surely that would aid their development.
Sorry – ended up diverting fro topic a bit
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https://twitter.com/TheCricketGeek/status/592941505565892608
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I thought the most interesting part was “Giles Clarke is leading the investigation”. Given how one of the Telegraph commenters (on Vaughan’s article, not Hoult’s) was telling another that Giles Clarke no longer has any power.
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Giles Clarke is leading the investigation into how some person, from outside the ICC and no doubt from the wrong kind of family, has had the temerity to think about upsetting Giles’s carefully constructed Empire of Three.
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This is always the great mistake of the big 3 and other arrogant sporting entities make when they try to create a so called new league or a rigged new competition and run it on purely business models. In sport you need someone to play against. You don’t need that in business. Supermarkets compete against other supermarkets but they don’t have to play against each other. Tesco can do business with its customers without having any dealings with ASDA.
It’s like when the big premiership teams threaten to break away and form a new league. You destroy all the old rivalries with the teams left on the outside. I wondered when the countries outside the so called big 3 might look to form their own model. If they were really brave they would tell India and England and Australia they won’t be playing against them any more. And let the big 3 just bore everybody to tears with endless Ashes and ODIs every year.
Of course they won’t because they have little money, so they have to play along. But a country like South Africa is in a stronger position because they are one of the best teams. Certainly better than England. If the other nations were to hold their nerve and leave the big 3 to just play against themselves they might force a better deal in time. But it is high risk poker. I wish them well because having a sporting model based on money rather than ability stinks, and kills the notion of competitive sport.
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My main concern with any new / breakaway league would be that they would abandon test cricket as too expensive / boring – not enough return.
I enjoy t20 as well as test & ODI – all in different ways. I fear that a new league would just be the shorter stuff.
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Yes it would be a shame to lose test cricket Andy,, but that is the fault of the greedy big 3. It is inevitable that players from countries outside the big 3 are going to look at ways to earn decent money. If their boards can’t pay them because they have been frozen out of the big bucks then they must look elsewhere.
Why should they turn up an play against England for little cash? The big 3 just thought they could cream off the wealth for themselves, they may now have run the risk of dividing and smashing cricket to pieces.
I would love to see them band together and extend the middle finger to The so called big 3. India of course holds all the cards because they could ban all non big 3 players from playing IPL. This being the only current good money option for players outside the big 3. It will end in compromise I guess, but they are looking at alternatives, and you can’t blame them for that.
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I read somewhere that the rumour was that the new league would play tests and T20, but I can’t find the article. Seemed like a good idea.
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The odious Clarke has fucked up everything he touches, the lurking menace, completely driven by greed and aggrindisement. The notion of a “big 3” was always going to upset the “little ‘uns” and drive them to do something different.
If the “lesser” nations choose to form a different league, then fair play to them!
You sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind….as they say!
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Angus Fraser on the press pack:
http://goo.gl/8o4xrB
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The most telling lines:
You don’t want everyone to be writing identical stuff, do you? You don’t want everyone taking exactly the same stance on any event that’s taken place.
I thought that sometimes the attitude of some of the players in the England team was that they felt they were hard done by and they had a tough existence, and you sort of think, “For Christ’s sake, just enjoy what you’re doing.”
Hmmm…..
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