2012 Schedule: 3 SA tests but 13 ODI's

You read it right. I know its olympic year but that is pathetic by the ECB, basically taking a big dump on test cricket

May 17-21 - 1st Test v West Indies, Lord's
May 25-29 - 2nd Test v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 7-11 - 3rd Test v West Indies, Edgbaston
June 16 - 1st ODI v West Indies, Rose Bowl
June 19 - 2nd ODI v West Indies, The Oval
June 22 - 3rd ODI v West Indies, Headingley
June 24 - T20 v West Indies, Trent Bridge

June 29 - 1st ODI v Australia, Lord's
July 1 - 2nd ODI v Australia, The Oval
July 4 - 3rd ODI v Australia, Edgbaston
July 7 - 4th ODI v Australia, Durham
July 10th - 5th ODI v Australia, Old Trafford

July 19-23 - 1st Test v South Africa, The Oval
August 2-6 - 2nd Test v South Africa, Headingley
August 16-20 - 3rd Test v South Africa, Lord's
August 24 - 1st ODI v South Africa, Cardiff
August 28 - 2nd ODI v South Africa, Rose Bowl
August 31 - 3rd ODI v South Africa, The Oval
September 2 - 4th ODI v South Africa, Lord's
September 5 - 5th ODI v South Africa, Trent Bridge
September 8 - 1st T20 v South Africa, Durham
September 10 - 2nd T20 v South Africa, Old Trafford
September 12 - 3rd T20 v South Africa, Edgbaston

I don't get why they have to sneak an ODI series against Australia in there. Especially as we'll be playing them to death from 2013 through to the beginning of 2014. Crazy.

It especially doesn't make sense considering how popular tests still are in England. Probably as popular as they have ever been in the last 20 years.

Stupid, idiotic, crazy, brainless....choose your word.

You do get sick of these meaningless little limited overs series springing up all over the place.

As for the main fare, we could probably scrap that too now that England is morphing into little South Africa.

Damn, those Ashes defeats really hurt Red huh?

JKLever wrote:Damn, those Ashes defeats really hurt Red huh?

Well of course they do but in the long run they might do us good and kill any complacency following a dominant era forever. They said after the Lillee/Marsh/Chappell departures and subsequent cricket oblivion that it would never happen again. Well inertia set in and it did. Maybe next time it won't.

As for the SA thing, no doubt that England has benefited from the ANC inspired diaspora.

Next time it "wont happen again"? So no other team in the World is allowed to play well and the fact that Aus is not dominating the Universe any longer is solely down to poor structures and decision making?

There's that Aussie arrogance.....It was missing for a while.

Red wrote:
Well of course they do but in the long run they might do us good and kill any complacency following a dominant era forever. They said after the Lillee/Marsh/Chappell departures and subsequent cricket oblivion that it would never happen again. Well inertia set in and it did. Maybe next time it won't.

As for the SA thing, no doubt that England has benefited from the ANC inspired diaspora.

The reason I want England to remain number one isn't because I support them. It's because I know how our position pains bitter lil cumswiggers such as yourself. We destroyed you at home because you were inept, weak-minded and were as hardy as dry balsa wood. Cling onto that being because of administration if you like, personnel or whatever. I personally saw weaklings replacing weaklings and have no doubt that whoever played for you would've gotten stomped all over.

That's appalling.

The WI series looks ok, but 3 tests against SA? In 2 whole freaking months of otherwise non-stop cricket? At least make it 4. Ugh. Stupid Olympics.

Olympics? Just scrap the meaningless series against Australia to fit in the extra Saffie test. Like we don't play them enough already....

aye, or just give them a minnow-esque 2 test series? That would fit in the other Saffer tests easily.

Ridiculous. I CGAF about one of those sh!tty ODIs, let alone all 13. They're just meaningless series. Meaningless. May as well watch them play each other at XBox or something as sh!t. F*ck the ECB.

Perhaps Andy Flower had an influence? He may have told the ECB that having won the Ashes twice and becoming the top side in the World, his priority is now the next World Cup.

Must be. Shame that it wasn't inexperience that let us down in the WC, it was space-wasters and a gash, captaincy-by-negativity man at the helm.

Scrap the Olympics!

And X Factor!

Scrap them all to hell.

I'm used to SA getting too few Tests- check out the recently-announced FTP if you need more proof. we are getting something like 20 Tests less than Eng, Aus, India in the next couple years. Ridiculous considering we are really competing for top spot in Tests.

MrPrez wrote:I'm used to SA getting too few Tests- check out the recently-announced FTP if you need more proof. we are getting something like 20 Tests less than Eng, Aus, India in the next couple years. Ridiculous considering we are really competing for top spot in Tests.

Is it because SA fans don't attend tests so there's been a perception that they rate limited overs cricket more? Maybe the SA administrators haven't campaigned for tests to become the staple part of their cricket menu.

Red wrote:

JKLever wrote:Damn, those Ashes defeats really hurt Red huh?

Well of course they do but in the long run they might do us good and kill any complacency following a dominant era forever. They said after the Lillee/Marsh/Chappell departures and subsequent cricket oblivion that it would never happen again. Well inertia set in and it did. Maybe next time it won't.

As for the SA thing, no doubt that England has benefited from the ANC inspired diaspora.

Do you honestly believe that teh Australian team at the moment is as bad as the swill that got to cheapen the baggy green in 1984 and 85?

I know we're bad at the moment, but there was a case, a pretty convincing case, for Australia being the outright worst Test team in the world at that stage. Even removing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, we're not as bad now as we were then.

Red wrote:

MrPrez wrote:I'm used to SA getting too few Tests- check out the recently-announced FTP if you need more proof. we are getting something like 20 Tests less than Eng, Aus, India in the next couple years. Ridiculous considering we are really competing for top spot in Tests.

Is it because SA fans don't attend tests so there's been a perception that they rate limited overs cricket more? Maybe the SA administrators haven't campaigned for tests to become the staple part of their cricket menu.

So the crowd stats that I have regularly posted to disprove this crap are being ignored again. One thing about Red, she never lets the facts get in the way.

I also don't understand the uproar about this. We have known for about 3 months it was going to be a 3 match series.

I thought they were debating recently whether to make the Windies series 2 tests in order to add an extra test to the Saffie series.

Was never going to happen. The WIndies had their race card all ready to slam on the deck if it did.

To be honest, if the Windies don't send their full strength side, they don't deserve three tests.
There's always the chance that there will be another major dispute beteen the WICB and the WIPA and half their side will go on strike. Then perhaps we can get a 5 test series against the Saffers.

Zat wrote:Was never going to happen. The WIndies had their race card all ready to slam on the deck if it did.

Well, England could respond with the "you're crap these days" card... and we play them far too much as it is.

The 7th Test was apparently dropped so they wouldn't have one clashing with the Olympics, and guess what... one of them still does, when they announce the schedule!

JKLever wrote:Damn, those Ashes defeats really hurt Red huh?

Yeah....but remind me....who won the last ODI series?