Is today's lust for viewing figures pushing cricket towards the gutter?

I have to agree with the above. Cricket is fast becoming a circus with money running the show. The 'sport factor' is being lost as it is all flash, noise and of course showmanship. Although 20/20 has been great at getting people to watch cricket and introducing the game to poeple who could not take the longer version, there is a definite danger of losing the basic cricket roots. Even England is mentioning the need for the Indian versions of 20/20. The worries are that because of the obsene amounts of money these players earn for a short period of play, should the 20/20 franschises decide to increase the length or even have their competitions more than once a year and place players in a position where they would have to choose between earning a fortune or playing for the countries, it may be an obvious choice for some. Especially those in their last years of cricket who would earn a lot more this way than playing under their flags. I was a fan of 20/20 cricket, not believing it would have an effect on the Holy Grail that is Test Cricket. However, I am getting more and more worried about this....

I have to agree with the above. Cricket is fast becoming a circus with money running the show. The 'sport factor' is being lost as it is all flash, noise and of course showmanship. Although 20/20 has been great at getting people to watch cricket and introducing the game to poeple who could not take the longer version, there is a definite danger of losing the basic cricket roots. Even England is mentioning the need for the Indian versions of 20/20. The worries are that because of the obsene amounts of money these players earn for a short period of play, should the 20/20 franschises decide to increase the length or even have their competitions more than once a year and place players in a position where they would have to choose between earning a fortune or playing for the countries, it may be an obvious choice for some. Especially those in their last years of cricket who would earn a lot more this way than playing under their flags. I was a fan of 20/20 cricket, not believing it would have an effect on the Holy Grail that is Test Cricket. However, I am getting more and more worried about this....

It's not unrecognisable. I think 20/20 will DRAW MORE ATTENTION to test - as it did me. 20/20 is the fast food - full of sugar, salt, MSG, caffeine, carcinogens etc etc (yum!) and Test is the best quality nourishing cuisine. To this member of the Riffraff (a new watcher drawn in by 20/20) it's ODI which comes across as the half-arsed pointless hybrid. Get it off! More Test!

A further Australian post script to the question: "Is today's lust for viewing figures pushing cricket towards the gutter?" Cricket Australia is pleased that 83 % of Australians see the current Oz Cricket team as role models, and 47% of Australians watch at least a bit of Cricket. However, only 36% of WOMEN watch it apparently. Ricky Ponting's recent suggestion re "attracting the ladies" as he puts it was to "get some of the team's younger members to take their shirts off". Hence, I have to sadly respond that yes, Lust for Figures is likely to Continue to Push Cricket towards the Gutter! Hurry Up!

Please its a game of cricket get over it. Just watch the sport anyway cricket has been struggling for years its sad but its getting boring i think back to the world cup aussie smashed everyone which was boring and then i look back to the much hyped series between aussie and africa the so called 2nd best team a few years ago and aussie made the yarpies look pathetic and then the ashes last year 5-0 to much damage has been done with Aussie smashing everyone its great that africa are better same with india but its to late. I think people just cant admit that cricket is struggling at the moment 20/20 will come and go like one day cricket and not everyone wants to watch test cricket only diehard supporters the problem cricket will have is not keeping current fans but gaining new ones which will be hard because the younger lot arent interested.

After watching Test and a tinge of 20/20, I found ODI tedious and disappointing. Usually the result is clear by lunchtime and then it's just a boring miserable drag one way or the other. In Australia, as far as I can tell, Test is still Huge on the radio. Lots of working people, particularly of a male persuasion, listen to the cricket as they're doing their jobs (as they have for the last ?90? years...). Unfortunately from a REVENUE point of view,...it's on the ABC. I love the ABC commentary, except when that awful Roebuck comes on. I cannot bear to listen to him.

Brad seems to be a bit misguided there. Anybody following test cricket would have seen that it is exciting times. Australia is in real danger of being beaten. South Africa and India have developed into really strong teams, who can challenge the Aussies. Test Cricket is jsut as exciting as 20/20 for the passionate. In South Africa the youngters' interest in cricket is growing and lots of money is going into clinics. Nobody forces anybody to watch cricket, If you prefer another sport, then watch that. Nanette, love your comparison of 20/20 and fast food.

What is wrong with Sportingo writers? For God's sake, it's not the end of the world as we know it. It's just a bleedin' cricket match. Ranting on about "truth, justice, long distance runners and the Way of Cricket" is just plain ridiculous. And the Pamela Anderson comment is infantile. I am a cricket fan from way back and - while I'm still reserving judgement on the IPL and Indian attitudes to cricket - I love 20/20 for it's own sake as much as I love test. Both require skill and strategy of different kinds. I think your writers need to calm down and stop drinking so much red cordial.