Especially when you have the best part of two and a half sessions to chase the total down. No need to rush it, just play good cricket and they will get to the target.
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Australia 2/71 at lunch, with Head and Weatherald both out for unnecessary pull shots. Weatheraldâs scalp was a bonus for England.
Looks like the match will be over before tea.
Thatâs the conclusion of the series. Khawajaâs last test innings ended with 6 off 7.
Alex Carey has the winning boundary.
Australia wins 4-1.
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Great win by Australia.
Mitchell Starc named player of the series, and deservedly so.
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They complained about massive losses, but 2 days in Melbourne was nearly what 5 days got in Sydney. Surely thatâs sustainable.
Zoe Samios in AFR reported a few days ago that, regardless of the SCG Test going the distance, it wouldnât at all offset the significant losses from the Boxing Day Test as well as the rest of the series, such as Perthâs also less than 2 days.
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The Australia vs South Africa tests in South Africa later this year (first tour to South Africa since Sandpapergate) is only a 3 test series. Should be at least 5 tests like the Ashes and BGT
At least five? How many do you want? 6? 7?
South Africa donât value home test matches as much any more. The only markets that can sustain them are England and Australia.
Has it seriously been that long since the last SA tour? Wow, that means Iâve now had Foxtel now Kayo around 13 years and this will only be the second one I will see if they Have it on Foxtel. Anyone could get the rights yet.
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Two factors: cost and scheduling.
The money just isnât there for test matches anymore. We have seen CA announce huge losses from Ashes tests, following similar losses after last yearâs India tour. For smaller countries like South Africa, those risks are even greater, so they minimise the amount they play in favour of more profitable ventures, such as their T20 competition.
The schedule is also a particular problem for this year. South Africa basically had no home summer this year: they only have 5 T20s against the West Indies scheduled just before the World Cup. It means they are packing Australia, Bangladesh, and England into next summer. To make it all work, you really canât have any more than three tests in a series.
It is since the last test tour. There was one planned for 2021 that was cancelled due to Covid - that cancellation was what allowed New Zealand into the WTC final that year. Australia has toured a couple of times since the Sandpaper-gate tour for limited overs series, the last being in 2023.
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Sixers with a victory tonight to tie the record with its opponent.
Not sure what the Stars were doing. They lost 4 wickets through first 15 overs and somehow ended their innings all out with a ball to spare.
And yes, the same happened back in Boxing Day with Sixers setting the target then. Needless to say they lost.
Itâll be an inevitability that the ICC will have to put in blocks for international cricket like FIFA (and others) does for international football. All the tests are put into those breaks, and outside will be your T20 leagues and what have you.
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Yes, the best test matches are usually in the UK. The pitches offer something for everyone. Much better climate for watching and playing cricket over there too, unless youâre playing at Chester Le Street in May when it has snowed.
Yes, thatâs the direction of travel and the IPL franchise owners have been lobbying the ICC in the background and they have used various Playersâ Associations to make that case on their behalf also.
Realistically the windows could look like as follows:
1st Window (Tests in Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa): Mid February to Mid March (4 weeks)
2nd Window (Tests in England, Sri Lanka, West Indies): June (4 weeks)
3rd Window (Tests in Australia, England, Sri Lanka, West Indies): Mid August - Mid September (5 weeks)
4th Window (Tests in Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa): End of November to Start of January (5 weeks)
I reckon that the Hundred will get a dedicated window through July going forward. Perhaps the MLC and the CPL will also try and schedule their competitions during that window. The major challenge would be deciding when to host the ICC events, which will have to share those international windows.
Probably not for this thread but does Fox have the rights to that series or could it go to 7 or ESPN like the SL & WI series in 2025?
We are already seeing a de facto âtest windowâ operating imo. I donât think thereâs much test cricket for a while now as the T20 WC is in February, which will be followed by the IPL.
Iâve had my fast food cricket fix for the year already, so I guess itâs back to watching old matches for me (until the Sheffield Shield starts which is actually more exciting than the tests weâve had).
I suppose the biggest change will be that those windows will become dedicated for all forms of international cricket (Tests, white ball bilaterals, ICC events), and the rest of the calendar will be freed up completely for franchise leagues.
Yeah you could say itâs also a case of the working class getting sharfted and the toffs getting the good stuff.
Just as i have an annual rant about how Coffs Harbour can host a BBL match but New South Walesâs second largest city canât
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Our facilities are not up to BBL standard for a city of our sizeâŚ
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Theyâve been talking about doing up No. 1 for ages.
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