Emerging Cricket Roundtable – ODIs in Crisis!

Dave Sihra

I’m coming in very late to this conversation and some incredible points have been made. But a stand out for me is one of Nick’s earlier points about packaging up the Super League and leveraging it with a coherent structure that ultimately provides a marketable product to viewers.

In fact whatever the ICC do instead of the Super League needs to be done with this thinking in mind. How do we create a coherent media plan and structure that allows fans to follow, and can bring in the casual viewer?

As far as can be seen this just simply isn’t there. The ICC tick boxes with regard to tournament obligations and regional qualifiers. Then broadcasters show games and series that appeal to them. But what is scheduled exactly? How do we make this make sense overall? How can the average fan follow this? There isn’t that joined up thinking.

How do we create a coherent media plan and structure that allows fans to follow, and can bring in the casual viewer?

You might have to go all the way back to Kerry Packer for someone to consider joining those dots, who looked at his audience for World Series Cricket and knew what he wanted to deliver. In fact he famously called up Mark Nicholas (yes that man again) when Kerry felt the commentator was downplaying his TV product live on air. That’s the level of detail. Sky Cricket have greatly developed their own product providing a high level of analysis, albeit from behind a paywall. The overall IPL product clearly has had much thought put in it – maybe with quite a bit of Americanised elements from the off. But now we need joined up thinking which I believe could sell our game better.

Of course there are quite a few barriers namely the ICC would have to seriously update their own streaming platform and take that first step. But we have a massive opportunity with Olympic cricket to sell the game globally, and one that might not come again. Can we make it all make sense?

Shounak Sarkar

It was great to be part of this roundtable and read everyone’s well thought out contributions. However, I feel that I must chime in on the crowd issue again, something that Rod alluded to above.

Going by the evidence of the crowd attendances in the last few World Cup games, it turns out that a lot of Indian fans do actually care about the game as a whole and not JUST “Indian cricket”; as too many on both sides of the ideological political spectrum have hastily and erroneously suggested to further their own agendas.

It’s a credit and testament to the Indian fans who have braved unseasonal October heat, a shambolic ticketing system and general BCCI mismanagement to turn out in large numbers and support the neutral games. It has injected some much needed vibrancy and colour to the tournament and coupled with some exciting games and unexpected results brought a meandering World Cup back to life.

Consider the following examples:

England vs Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, South Africa vs New Zealand in Pune as well as all the Delhi hosted matches have had very healthy crowd turnouts. The Bangladesh vs Pakistan fixture in Kolkata had a particularly lively atmosphere with plenty of enthusiastic travelling Bangladeshi fans cheering their team on, despite their on-field woes.

Additionally, Pakistan vs South Africa in Chennai, England vs South Africa in Mumbai and the Australia vs New Zealand game in Dharamshala had raucous atmospheres with close to sell out crowds. Yes, the lack of away fans in general (due to the late release of tickets and schedule) has left a sour taste in the mouth but the local Indian cricket fans have helped pick up the slack with their passion.

One must credit the Dutch and Afghanistan too for delivering some sparkling performances and providing us with a number of “upsets”. This has upended the usual script and caused the average fan to sit up and take notice. The fact that semi-final qualification is still alive for a number of teams is largely down to their exploits.

In many ways, the fate of the ODI format seems inextricably linked to the future format and structure of the World Cup itself.

Still, I cannot help but feel a hint of sadness at a genuine missed opportunity. How much richer would the World Cup have been with the inclusion of Zimbabwe, Scotland, Ireland and West Indies or maybe even UAE or Nepal? Can the event still be called a “World” Cup when you have taken the world out by restricting it to a pitiful ten teams?

In many ways, to me, the fate of the ODI format seems inextricably linked to the future format and structure of the World Cup itself. If you design a proper inclusive event with loads of context and jeopardy, as well as a coherent league qualification structure in the intervening years, the fans will respond.

More importantly, do the administrators have the desire and vision to eschew short term self-interest, resist the lure of T20 franchise riches and ensure that ODI’s will survive into the future? We shall see after the November ICC meetings!

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