Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

Top Contributors
Metallica_ACDC

Metallica_ACDC

New Member
Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

Southern hemisphere schedule to be reviewed by the ICC

Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

Cricinfo staff

June 22, 2007


The future of Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests in Melbourne and Sydney cannot be guaranteed beyond 2008, according to a report due to be presented to the ICC next week.


Eight of the 10 Test-playing nations, including Australia, share the same main season, and countries are becoming increasingly unhappy at Australia's monopoly.

"We've got a traditional season that we've been operating for a long while, and we're keen to keep working with other nations to do that," Peter Young, Cricket Australia's media manager told The Australian. "The Boxing Day Test and the New Year's Test are iconic parts of the Australian summer."

South Africa, who also has its own Boxing Day and New Year's Test - except when they play in Australia - submitted a complaint to the ICC to request a review of the games' scheduling. This prompted the ICC to form a committee, lead by their chairman Malcolm Gray, and the resulting recommendations will be submitted to the ICC's executive boards at their annual meeting in London next week.

"The South African submission was along the line of concern that the existing scheduling and arrangements are equitable and the West Indian submission was based on their financial situation," Gray said, "putting forward that under existing arrangements it doesn't afford them sufficient financial support."


But the impact on Australia would be significant if, after 2008, their two bumper Tests can't be guaranteed. CA and the Australian government commissioned a report earlier this month which revealed that the Boxing Day Test against England last December generated $86.4m for Victoria's economy, even though it only lasted three days.

© Cricinfo
Click to expand...
So South Africa are unhappy about our Boxing Day and New Year's Test...
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

When SA build a 100,000 seat stadium that they can fill they can have it.
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

Kram81;166322 said:
When SA build a 100,000 seat stadium that they can fill they can have it.
Click to expand...
Over my dead body. SA is a dump. Play it at the proposed East Perth Stadium or leave it where it is.
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

Kram81;166322 said:
When SA build a 100,000 seat stadium that they can fill they can have it.
Click to expand...

Don't agree at all

When they build a 100,000 that they can guarantee will be filled, they still wont get it, they wont be able to fill a 100,000 seater stadium anyway.

We are the best cricketing nation, we have the greatest stadium in the world, we have 100,000 fans who are willing to go on Day 1, we wont lose this match.

Look at the figures from last season (I know, the circumstances with Warne, McGrath, Langer playing for the last time in Melbourne in a Test Match & Warne going for 700) but the crowd speaks for itself, there is no way South Africa would even get 95,000 fans for 5 days at a Test Match, let alone 1 day, then 80,000 the next day, and 80,000 again on Day 3.
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

I said they could have it when they build a stadium and can fill knowing that that it will NEVER happen thus it will always be played in Melbourne where it belongs.

SS, unless us Sandgropers vote out the s#@t Labour government that never want to progress the state we probably will never get a new stadium in EPerth. Subiaco is a patched up dinosaur. . I sit on wooden bench seat for god's sake. WACCA is nice but the new ground could accommodate ODI's. 65k seats would be perfect for a fast growing sports mad state in the middle of a massive resource boom.
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

South Africa are just plain jealous of how successful Australia is with all their sports.
Anyway the stadiums in South Africa need to be fixed up first.
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

the stadiums dont need to be fixed up they need people going to there games first
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

The South Africans can just come and play us during November or something then.

There not even that good anyway... (well compared to Australia:p )
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

:mad: the aussies play 21 tests next year. that's right 21!!! Plenty of countries are gonna get a slice of the aussies, which will probably boost crowds in those countries, so let us have our test summer.

Besides, playing a test series in australia over november-december or december-january is probably the test equivalent of the world cup for most nations I'd imagine because of the atmosphere of the grounds, the quality of the cricket, the size of the crowds and the difficulty of the objective.

As Jacques Kallis says here (http://www.theroar.com.au/2007/10/16/kallis-says-beating-australia-like-winning-world-cup), beating Australia "would be equivalent to winning the World Cup in a test series".
 
Re: Australia's Boxing Day and New Year's Tests under threat

21 tests and how many 20/20 matches? Six? Seven? Stock up on the tomato soap. The Jurassic
ages lives on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top