How "administrators" are killing Test Cricket.

How much do cricket administrators get paid nowdays?

The current Test "series" in South Africa is symptomatic of how the very people paid to foster Test Cricket are actually killing it . . . okay, that's a big assumption (that they're paid to foster Test Cricket), and I think the IPL experience in India, and Cricket Australia's obscene rush to try to cash-in on similar, do put lie to the concept of fostering anything other than short-term profit, but you know what I mean.

In South Africa, two Test Matches only, so they could fit in two bloody T20 games. Does anyone remember what happened in the T20 matches? Bloody idiots. Once again, the Test matches leave the contrived T20 games in their wake. Yes yes, there are those who like T20 because it's short and non-stop and has dancing girls and music . . . . just like World Wrestling Federation in fact. And Tom and Jerry cartoons (sans the girls and the music). And the Three Stooges . . . . do I really have to say more?.

Back to South Africa: every day, they have to stop the game early due to bad light. Now, I don't know much about the state of meteorology in South Africa, but in most places in the world I've visited, they can tell what time the sun is going down on any given day of the year. And that information can help to determine what time to start a day's play, to increase the chances of getting a full day's play. But what do the South African administrators do? They don't consult their meteoroligists on what time of day the games should start, they consult a much more knowledgeable body . . . the tv broadcasters.

And don't worry, Cricket Australia consults that most knowledgeable body for all sorts of advice on how to run the game in Australia too . . . .

EDIT: the Australia v New Zealand "series", also just two Tests, has also ended in a totally unsatisfactory 1-all stalemate. Can you imagine the drama of a deciding Test in both these cases? I can, I'm sure you can, bloody Blind Freddy's dog can . . . . .like I said, how much do cricket administrators get paid nowdays?

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Next Indoor Cricket World Cup in New Zealand

New Zealand has won the right to host the 2014 Indoor Cricket World Cup.

© 2001 Sheldon Levis

Indoor Cricket New Zealand chief executive Mark Cini is reported to be pitching for Christchurch to be the host city, although a final decision has yet to be made.

For those who've not experienced an international indoor cricket tournament in New Zealand under Mark's direction, you are in for a major treat!!!

Mark is an old friend of mine (and of Indoor Cricket World), and I'll be speaking to him very soon to get his thoughts first-hand, but in the meantime, a fond look back at two magnificent past tournaments in New Zealand, the 2002 Indoor Cricket World Cup in Wellington, and the 2003 Indoor Cricket World Masters and International 19 & Under tournament in Christchurch.

Australian National Indoor Cricket Championships, Perth 2011

(this post first appeared on the Dusty Dingo Photography Blog)

I love Cricket (please note, for the purposes of this post, the definition of Cricket does NOT include that Twenty20 advertising-dressed-up-as-sport rubbish. Come to think of it, for ANY purpose, the definition of Cricket should never include Twenty20).

So I'll say it again . . . I LOVE Cricket.

Test Cricket in particular.

If there is a sport with more variety, nuance, excitement, grace, personality, power and intrigue than Test Cricket, I'll eat my one piece of that indispensable equipment affectionately known as "the box". Non-cricketing folk probably should not seek explanation. Trust me.

Of course, not all of us can play Test Cricket. After all, even some who are selected for Test Cricket can't play it. So we play our own version, usually demanding not five full days (like Test Cricket), but one or two, sometimes taking the whole weekend, sometimes spread over two weekends.

As we move through the years, sports that demand a whole weekend (like Cricket), or even just a whole day of the weekend (like Cricket) are pushed aside for other pursuits that demand at least some of our weekends (like Life). So we either give up playing our beloved sport, or we find alternatives. In Australia and New Zealand (and to a lesser degree South Africa and the UK, and to an even lesser degree India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), that alternative is often Indoor Cricket.

New Zealand Under 19 girls celebrate a wicket against tournament  favourites Australia. New Zealand eventually eliminated Australia from  the finals and played the Grand Final against ultimate Under 19 Girl  champions, South Africa.
2003 Indoor Cricket World Under 19 Championships, Christchurch, New Zealand

Now, I'm not going to explain Indoor Cricket here, when I've already done that comprehensively here at Indoor Cricket World

And I'm not going to discuss the finer points of photographing this sport--that is a future project I'm working on.
 
What I am doing is letting those interested know that Indoor Cricket World contains the largest collection of original Indoor Cricket Photography on the web. For newcomers to the sport, I also have a small selection of International Indoor Cricket tournament photographs here

But mainly, I'm letting readers know that Dusty Dingo Photography is covering the upcoming Australian National Indoor Cricket Championships, and will feature the photographs of the whole tournament on its pages.

Stay tuned.