9 tests in Australia next summer

Egan · Post by **Egan** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 2:43 pm

According to the West Australian 9 tests are planned in Australia this summer with the first to be played at the WACA ground against Zimbabwe on October the 9th, the earliest ever in australia. The second test will be played in Sydney with Hobart could not be considered due to their weather. This will be followed by 4 tests against India and 3 against Pakistan altogether 9 tests to be played in Australia. This should do well with probably every test venue in Australia getting a test match. With possibly Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide gettting two test matches thats my theory though.

yob · Post by **yob** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 5:59 pm

tailz · Post by **tailz** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 8:30 pm

yes but they don't seem to go at the gabba, didn't you see how empty the joint looked during the 1st test?

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 11:16 pm

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 11:31 pm

With the two Tests against Bangladesh in winter, it will be a bumper year of cricket.

I hope the Aussies don't get too burnt out. It's not necessarily the competition but it's more the loads of matches that will be played. It can be very draining.

I disagree with 4 Tests vs India. I prefer odd numbers since draws are less common these days. And I think Test series should be no more than 3 (Ashes excluded because of tradition) to allow for more nations to play each other. I'm sure the Aussies would stop snubbing Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and other minnows if this happened. On the plus side it will be good to see aussie cricket venues being given greater exposure in hosting top class games. This is good news for cricket venues which do not get as much top class use in national competitions (Adelaide, Bellerive, WACA).

yes but they don't seem to go at the gabba, didn't you see how empty the joint looked during the 1st test?

Looks can be deceiving. That 4 day Test drew 80,000 fans. 70,000 on the first 3 days before England collapsed to be all out for 79. That's quite good. IMO, it looks difficult to make out a decent crowd estimate there because the seats are coloured (a deliberate ploy). Also, it is a big ground and many of the people sit where the camera doesn't catch them.

I say te Zimbabwe Test should go to Hobart. They play cricket there that early in the year so why can't they play a Test. Don't rob Tassie of the chance to see a Test, possibly one of the first with Punter as captain.

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Wed Jan 08, 2003 7:54 pm

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Wed Jan 08, 2003 11:11 pm

The likelihood would be for Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to have the India Tests. Traditionally when two sides play Tests here in summer, the one with the higher profile/ranking would play in these places. This would be India.

Egan · Post by **Egan** » Wed Jan 08, 2003 11:44 pm

First of all Canberra needs to be declared a test venue by the ACB before it can host test matches. From the newspaper report they only touted two venues the WACA and the SCG for the two tests against Zimbabwe and it stated that because of the weather in Hobart it could not be considered for the test match. I think a match against Pakistan early 2004 will be Hobarts though.

Zimbabwe -WACA,SCG
India - MCG,SCG,GABBA, Adelaide Oval
Pakistan - Bellerive, MCG and Adelaide Oval

The selectors prefer Adelaide over both brisbane and Perth. As Adelaide has been declared the best cricket ground in the world so more then likely it would get two test matches.

cam · Post by **cam** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 12:20 am

Is that serious about Adelaide Oval declared the best cricket ground in the world? - By who? I know it's the most picturesque.
I thought that Lords was #1, and the MCG #2. Or maybe im thinking about the players survey.

Egan · Post by **Egan** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 12:44 am

The Channel 9 commentators declared Adelaide Oval the best cricket ground in the country but obviously the ACB prefers Adelaide Oval then the concrete jungle in Brisbane and the white elephant in Perth. It just makes sence

cam · Post by **cam** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 12:47 am

How bloody annoying are the Channel 9 commentators. Everytime they are at Adelaide Oval, they have a toss over it. They go on, and on, and on. And it's just as bad at the SCG - Have you ever watched a match on channel 9 played at the SCG where the commentators havent said 'it's a wonderful ground, a mixture of the new and the old'.

yob · Post by **yob** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 3:55 pm

cam wrote:How bloody annoying are the Channel 9 commentators. Everytime they are at Adelaide Oval, they have a toss over it. They go on, and on, and on. And it's just as bad at the SCG - Have you ever watched a match on channel 9 played at the SCG where the commentators havent said 'it's a wonderful ground, a mixture of the new and the old'.

Oh bloody oath, I for one can't stand the way everyone goes on about Adelaide Oval. The fact of the matter is, Adelaide Oval may look alright on the TV, but it's the most #$%^ing annoying ground in the world to actually go to. The entire hill area has no damn shade at all, so it's a given that if you buy a ticket to a one dayer or a test match, you're gonna get a nice ol' melanoma for free with the package. To make it better, the hill area which is arguably the only part of the whole ground which actually uses beer to it's full potential, only gets mid strength, while the old codgers in the shaded members area get full strength. Talk about a human rights violation.

The one good thing about Adelaide Oval is the old score board, because when the crowd gets going, most of the days entertainment comes from the blokes trying to nail the scoreboard attendant through his little windows in the scoreboard with a tennis ball.

Jeffles · Post by **Jeffles** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 9:22 pm

Adelaide is a lovely ground. My issue with it though would be the short sqaure boundaries if anything. Sure there is no shade but it goes for many grounds. A lot of it has to do with an exposed Eastern side when the sun sets in the West.

The eastern side of the SCG from the Messenger to the Hill gets not shade in a day-nighter till the sun goes down. At least Adelaide has the trees at the back of the Hill and shade cloths. The SCG has a spot underneath the Doug Walters Stand and some of that gives you an obstructed view of the eastern boundary thanks to the 'Reilly Stand protruding far more forward than the other stands (that's because the land on that side owned by the SCG is tiny).

The beer thing is bad luck. A lot of it is put down to the louts. It's so unfair though. as if the beer is to blame. I think the streakers were more a problem because the penalty used to be small (a $500 fine in NSW). I knew of a guy that streaked because all his mates pitched in for the fine. They just wanted a laugh. Now the penalty in NSW is a $5500 fine and a 12 month ban from the SCG and Aussie Stadium if you happen to streak at those grounds. I think that's why streaking is stopping. It has nothing to do with the beer. You can still get pissed at the pub on the way. With Fox Studios opening there are like 4 pubs within a 2 minute walk of the SCG. More when you count the little suburban ones in Paddington and Surry Hills.

To the grounds of Australia I say. Don't blame the beer!!! Don't ban the beer!!!

marcus · Post by **marcus** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 9:28 pm

argee · Post by **argee** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:18 am

The difference between Cairns & Darwin and Canberra is that people will actually go to the games in Cairns & Darwin.