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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · 11d

Listening to Bertus is always a good use of your time. Glas to see this podcast back after a little hiatus.

Adit RS @aditrs.bsky.social · 12d

Cricket Sickos is back! Today's guest is Bertus de Jong @bdjcricket.bsky.social who talks about Dutch cricket, how tournament formats should be, and the challenges facing international cricket.

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Spotify – Web Player

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

The CEO of one of the three biggest boards and one of three people appointed to a panel to consider the future of Test cricket is not really just an opinion.
The reason I can point to 12 y/o articles about it is that it has been a common view for many for a long time that fewer teams should play.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

The Ashes will only matter, and therefore make money, while it remains the oldest and biggest of Test's many series. Take away that context and it is an anachronism. That's a weird choice for an Australian cricket administrator to make

Test cricket might be threatened, but to the extent it is, it is not T20 doing the threatening, but the actions of the members apparently most supportive of the form. Sportsmen are driven by status. They want to be paid what they feel they deserve, given the pay of comparable players. In a world where financially weak members can't match what the market offers for their best players, but the financially successful boards can shower riches on second rate cricketers, it is a grave injustice not to let cricketers from poor countries achieve better pay. But there is a second aspect to status seeking, and that is to perform on the highest stage, to draw plaudits from the public and fellow players, to be compared favourably with greats from past and present. Test cricket remains the avenue by which that status must be achieved. But access to it is being steadily eroded, and that, more than anything, hurts test cricket.

Cricket is slowly globalising, the game spreading gradually, with as many players outside the test nations now as play in any individual non-subcontinental nation. Greats players of the future will increasingly emerge from outside test cricket's current boundaries, and they'll continue to be produced in the smaller test nations - even though, by and large, the biggest, strongest teams will remain what they are now: India, England, Australia and South Africa.

Yet, in the very near future, it will be T20 with the largest, most inclusive world championship, T20 that offers the highest pay, and the best opportunities for professional advancement. Unless it quickly changes, test cricket will offer no, or only a small world championship, will continue to be barred to the vast minority of playing nations, will continue to offer to its weaker full members short series seen as warmups at best, and inconveniences to be avoided at worst. If test cricket is to be the pinnacle of the sport it must be the pinnacle of achievement for all its players, not only those in England, Australia and India. And test cricket is not; it was, perhaps 20 years ago, but it is not now.

There is a widely held belief that test cricket might, soon, be reduced only to "those teams that care for it", meaning those same three, if not those two. This is true, but back to front, test cricket is slowly being eroded back to those three teams, in the pursuit of profit that only playing your fellow rich nations can bring. When there are at least a dozen nations worth of cricketers who would saw off their right arm to play test cricket in the sort of tournament I outlined here, that is not the inevitable result of change, it is wilful destruction.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

Most relevantly, if the Big 3 dont want to support Test cricket outside a limited number of teams, then it will die. Not because it isn't viable, but because you cannot maintain primacy if Test cricket is a secondary priority for the majority of players.
web.archive.org/web/20160401...

Idle Summers - The true threat to test cricket is inequality

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

That structure hasn't changed since I wrote about it 12 years ago. Most markets don't make money from their games regardless of format. If CA wants to play international cricket, and it is 80% if their remit, then they need to support those teams.
web.archive.org/web/20160401...

Idle Summers - Observations on Cricket Finance

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

There is something terribly gauche about Cricket Australia telling other countries they can't play Test cricket and might go bankrupt if they try.
This wasn't an issue thirty years ago when there was significantly less money in cricket. It is an issue entirely derived from the financial structure

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jul 29

This was a fun but very nerdy wonk chat.

Adit RS @aditrs.bsky.social · Jul 26

Today on Cricket Sickos, Russ Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social returns to the podcast and dives deep into ICC team rankings - what works, what doesn't, and what the point of rankings even is.

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5zH4...

Youtube: youtu.be/k_iDaxqjLFI?...

RSS: anchor.fm/s/fa16cb28/p...

Episode 48 - More Rankings Wonkiness with Russ Degnan

The Cricket Sickos Podcast · Episode

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jul 20

Ratings following the last three tests. Zimbabwe's recent run of matches means they have the highest games played since 2005, but also, their lowest ever rating.
Very little change otherwise as they matched their expected margins in the previous test: ENG by 22 (exp: 8), AUS by 176 (exp: 166)

Rating Form Matches
Australia 1294.9 -4.6 13.1
India 1221.1 16.0 12.7
South Africa 1147.2 51.1 9.9
England 1139.3 -16.8 15.9
New Zealand 1083.6 -11.8 7.6
Pakistan 995.5 -24.0 7.6
Sri Lanka 945.3 7.1 9.9
West Indies 861.5 8.1 10.6
Bangladesh 713.4 -22.1 10.9
Afghanistan 643.5 -22.1 1.9
Ireland 574.9 3.2 1.9
Zimbabwe 483.3 -17.4 7.6

Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jul 7

Updating Test ratings following the Australia and England games. Australia still the leading team by a reasonable margin. South Africa and India with strong form indicating potential to close the gap.

Team Rating Form Matches
Australia 1294.4 -7.3 12.1
India 1222.1 24.1 11.7
England 1138.5 -24.6 14.9
South Africa 1110.2 39.9 8.9
New Zealand 1083.6 -11.8 7.6
Pakistan 995.5 -24.0 7.6
Sri Lanka 945.3 7.1 9.9
West Indies 862.0 12.4 9.6
Bangladesh 713.4 -22.1 10.9
Afghanistan 643.5 -22.1 1.9
Ireland 574.9 3.2 1.9
Zimbabwe 502.4 14.2 6.6

Reposted by Russell Degnan

Jarrod Kimber @jarrodkimber.bsky.social · May 17

🎙️Red Inker Pod

How does the ICC operate?

podfollow.com/redinker

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Reposted by Russell Degnan

Adit RS @aditrs.bsky.social · Jan 4

Today's episode of Cricket Sickos is with Emerging Cricket co-founder @danielbeswick.bsky.social, who talks to me about the origins of the Emerging Cricket network and his role helping to grow cricket with the ICC!

open.spotify.com/episode/2o1A...

Episode 19 - Rising Tide with Daniel Beswick

The Cricket Sickos Podcast · Episode

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jan 2

End of year Test Ratings before we start again. Australia on top.
Teams remain very stable. NZ dropping back over the last few years is the only significant change of note, and even then it puts them back where they were in 2019.

Rating Form Matches
Australia 1283.1 15.1 4.5
India 1218.6 18.4 -16.1
England 1149.2 23.8 7.0
New Zealand 1081.2 15.1 -14.3
South Africa 1076.3 12.9 16.0
Pakistan 1014.6 12.3 11.1
Sri Lanka 963.7 13.7 15.8
West Indies 842.2 13.1 -14.2
Bangladesh 731.9 13.9 7.8
Afghanistan 641.6 2.7 -34.8
Ireland 572.6 2.8 -1.9
Zimbabwe 485.2 3.2 -15.2

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Dec 30

You do wonder what the third umpire in a Blind Joel match thinks. Hanging out for the eventual hot mic dismissal of his abilities.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Dec 18

Ashwin's batting waned as his career progressed which meant he wasn't really a genuine all rounder. But half way through it he had a legitimate claim to having the highest wins above replacement per test of any player ever. Phenomenal record

Reposted by Russell Degnan

Adit RS @aditrs.bsky.social · Dec 7

If you want something to listen to at lunch of #NZvENG (or waiting for #AUSvIND), today's Cricket Sickos is with @anththehistorian.bsky.social - we discuss his research into Britain "civilising" its colonies using cricket, and hear about his amazing cricket origins!

open.spotify.com/episode/6npC...

Episode 15 - Performing empire with Anth Condon

The Cricket Sickos Podcast · Episode

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Nov 22

Unfortunate but if Pat had taken his it would have ended earlier.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Nov 22

One more catch behind the wicket for a complete set. #ausvind

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Reposted by Russell Degnan

Adit RS @aditrs.bsky.social · Nov 13

Promo for The Cricket Sickos Podcast now lives here!

It's interviews with cricket obsessives, discussing the weird and wonderful ways we love the game. Guests include @linuxlea.bsky.social and @liebcricket.com.

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5ks7hJt...

Youtube: youtube.com/@aditrs7870?...

The Cricket Sickos Podcast

Podcast · Adit RS · A podcast where host Adit talks to fellow cricket sickos to talk about the weird and wonderful ways we obsess over cricket.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Nov 3

Adit invited me onto his podcast! It's called The Cricket Sickos Podcast as he interviews people about their cricketing life. We discuss that, associates, cricket structures and writing/commentary

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3kDGhG…

Youtube: youtu.be/89f3ppFpmLA?si=qBFE1ox3QUKglg-I

Cricket Sickos Ep 10 Russ

YouTube video by aditrs

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 14

As someone who has watched cricket deal with this for 30 years, US sports are laughably naive about the level of risk and factors that make it worse. Notably low paid or unpaid players but many other things. Play the Game has had a number of good studies on this.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Aug 11

Any optimism I had earlier in the season was tempered by their percentage being about 15th Unsustainable good fortune in close games.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jun 29

I also didn't discuss the (mostly) successful staging of the World Cup in the USA, or its prospects for the future. But while doing that other thread I stumbled across what I wrote in 2012, and it is basically exactly the same.
web.archive.org/web/20230930...

Idle Summers - Taming cricket`s wild frontier

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jun 29

So while I really liked the whole T20 WC and the format delivered in terms of exciting finishes; we didn't commentate the last few (dead) group games, there was the possibility of shenanigans, and there remains a gap between "scheduled if" and "guaranteed" jeopardy that the ICC often misses on.

Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jun 29

And while the nominal number of matches between top 8 and top 12 teams is much higher in the format the ICC have used, because Pakistan and Sri Lanka missed out, it ended up being very similar (or exactly the same if SL beat SCO and PAK beat BAN):
16 vs 12 between top 8 teams
23 vs 26 for 8 vs 12

Table showing games against top 8 and top 12 teams across the two formats. Conclusion in text.

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Russell Degnan @idlesummers.bsky.social · Jun 29

The difference is the ICC went with the "Super 8" to make sure the big teams (actually just India) played more games, and to maximise the biggest match-ups, but it came at a cost to dead rubbers.
The breakdown: 6 completely dead vs none. 17 teams playing a game of no consequence vs just 2.

Breakdown of dead rubbers across both formats. Description in text

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