"Cricket is a dying sport" - Brian Lara

Invader Zim wrote:

ten years after wrote:Don't be absurd. If it's a major sport in countries with nearly a quarter of the world's population then it is a popular world sport.

1/4? More like a 1/5. And the poorest 5th at that.

Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America
Central America
South America
All of Europe except Britain
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa
Middle East

taipan wrote:

ten years after wrote: Don't be absurd. If it's a major sport in countries with nearly a quarter of the world's population then it is a popular world sport. Only Soccer of those you named is ahead. The others don't come close.

Sorry but I don't even believe the 25% of world's population bit

World population = approx 6.78 billion

India = 1.15 billion
Pakistan & Bangladesh = .32 billion
UK = .06 billion
South Africa & Zimbabwe = .06 billion
Sri Lanka = .02 billion
Aus, NZ & Windies = .04 billion

Total = 1.65 billion

which is more than 24% of 6.78

taipan wrote:

Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America - 'cept Canada.
Central America
South America, 'cept Argentina, Guyana and Belize.
All of Europe except Britain, Holland and Oireland.
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa that counts.
Middle East

A few minor amendments.

Paul Keating wrote:In popularity cricket is behind soccer, union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball. And that is without even thinking about it.

Taipan wrote:
Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America
Central America
South America
All of Europe except Britain
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa
Middle East

All of which are famous for their fanatical support of union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball.

Merlin wrote:

taipan wrote:

Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America - 'cept Canada.
Central America
South America, 'cept Argentina, Guyana and Belize.
All of Europe except Britain, Holland and Oireland.
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa that counts.
Middle East

A few minor amendments.

Well if you think that cricket is a major sport in Canada, Argentina and Holland, more fool you.

ten years after wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:In popularity cricket is behind soccer, union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball. And that is without even thinking about it.


Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America
Central America
South America
All of Europe except Britain
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa
Middle East

All of which are famous for their fanatical support of union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball.

I never mentioned any sports, but I would go for golf in a lot of those countries.

Invader Zim wrote:

ten years after wrote:Don't be absurd. If it's a major sport in countries with nearly a quarter of the world's population then it is a popular world sport.

1/4? More like a 1/5. And the poorest 5th at that.

Nearly 1/4 is correct.

1.67 billion/6.7 billion * 100 = 24.3%.

and while India has a high poverty rate it also has many relatively weathy parts. Africa obviously contains the poorest countries.

taipan wrote:

ten years after wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:In popularity cricket is behind soccer, union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball. And that is without even thinking about it.


Lets see who doesn't play cricket as a major sport.

North America
Central America
South America
All of Europe except Britain
Russia including all the previous satellite states
China
Most of Africa
Middle East

All of which are famous for their fanatical support of union, swimming, F1, golf and basketball.

I never mentioned any sports, but I would go for golf in a lot of those countries.

Lost the quote marks in my multi-quote selection - its corrected now.

Golf is played as major spectator sport in some countries and a minor one in many more, as is cricket.

As i said before, those who follow cricket as a major sport have a quarter of the worlds population, those who follow golf as a major sport have nothing like that,

And anyway athletics would be far bigger anyway.

The countries where Soccer is not the major national sport would be Canada, USA, some of the Windies, Pakistan, India, Bangldesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and maybe Bhutan.

In those 10 places cricket is the major national sport in 6, Baseball in 1, Ice Hockey in 1, Rugby Union in 1 and Yeti wrestling in 1.

F1, Golf and Athletics don't get a look in.

While soccer is the "major" sport in many nations, it doesn't mean those countries are any good at it. EVen half the South American nations are quite shit at it.

Cricket at least has some modicum of standards as to who qualifies to play Tests.

PeterCS wrote:Have a listen .... words clear as a bell ... despite reproduction quality from TV.

I did. Not sure what your point of posting it was. Still nasally and whiney.

PeterCS wrote:Almost 40 years later, and his voice is reduced to a husky whisper through age and recurrent poor health ... unliek the sardonic nasal affectation of the mid-60s.

and I agree, it's an acquired taste by this stage.

Still moving though, in my opinion. ..

If you've heard it and it leaves you cold, fair enough to call it what you will!

Pardon me, I'm going to the sauna to warm up.

JGK wrote:While soccer is the "major" sport in many nations, it doesn't mean those countries are any good at it. EVen half the South American nations are quite shit at it.

Cricket at least has used to have some modicum of standards as to who qualifies to play Tests.

Fixed.

I disagree with Harding's thinking. He think's we're living in our own little bubble, of which we don't understand the problems that occur in Cricket. Please correct me Harding san.

If Lara had never said anything, would this thread even exist?

There are problems in football too, not so much on a popularity level but on other more outlandish ones such as racism (a problem in all walks of life), diving, referee abuse (sometimes deserved) and overpaid players, which can bring the sport down for it's audience and the people involved in the game. I've certainly gone off it.

As for what JGK and GH05 mentioned, in terms of Crickets popularity worldwide, it's quite good that its only encouraged in specific areas of the world. You don't want to water down the Test Arena (bar Bangladesh and Zimbabwe of course) even more than at present. By all means bring new Countries into the Test Arena but make sure they don't backfire like Bangladesh or the present Zimbabwe XI. Fresh is always good, but only if they're serious contenders who can perform. This might take decades or might never happen, but stranger things can occur.

It's understandable that the Cricket Jargon does put people off, so giving it a chance unless fully committed is quite a large ask. Hence why people prefer Football and find T20 as the cricket alternative. (Even ODI's are too long for some).

The only reason that Cricket might be diminishing is because Test Cricket (the best and my personal favourite of all forms of the game) is being beaten to it's knees to let some shizz and giggles form of the game take over, which is completely wrong.

I still believe that Test Cricket's still got it. Always will.

Tours should go like this.

Tour Match: Only T20 (Save these for one World Cup every 3/4 years and for one section of Domestic Cricket, it doesn't need to clutter up the serious parts of the tour).
Tour Match: 3 Day

3/4/5 Tests (2 is not worth it, just remember NZ vs Sri Lanka in 2006, 1-1 after 2 tests, there could have been a decider to end a decent series).

Tour Match: 50 overs each
3-5 ODI's (5 maximum, 7 ODI's should be forbidden on any tour)

Smerky in sensible post from a Welshman shocker.

Well done!

I'd have all Test series as best of five, with games four and five only taking place if the series is still alive.

Zat wrote:Smerky in sensible post from a Welshman shocker.

Well done!

Cheers.

Now get back in your cage.

Dello wrote:Now get back in your cage.

Dello wrote:I'd have all Test series as best of five, with games four and five only taking place if the series is still alive.

How are you going to sell sponsorship (for that is the lifeblood of the game) for games four and five?

Sky, or any other broacaster for that matter, would not touch that with a bargepole.

Simple, you sponsor the games first (at a flat rate). If they're played, they're obviously series deciders and will fetch you more than you bargained for. If they're not, you get everything back. It's a win-no loss scenario.

If only corporate c*nts around the world had the common sense that a village idiot in these matters like me has.

I think Soccer has the highest participation rate amongst the Australian population. Netball might be next. Neither of these sports are considered to be the national sport.

Cricket and AFL fight it out for that list.

And tya my point is, is cricket a major world sport?

Granted, I take your point that it is popular amongst 25% of the world's population.

But cricket has never been considered a major sport. In the newspaper of any country that is not commonwealth, cricket would not get a mention. All of the sports I mentioned would. Before cricket anyway.

The simple fact of its popularity among 1/4 of the worlds population means that it is a major sport even if the other 3/4 couldn't give a stuff (which mostly they don't, I agree). It means that the cricket world cup is followed closely by more people than any other world championship apart from Soccer.

TYA being sage as always.

Swimming, F1, golf and basketball?

... whilst fishing is staggeringly popular around these parts.