A method to find the real world champions of cricket

Reader: cricketfirst

I feel it's a positive idea to try out. Every game is played to win, so the point system only adds more context to the competition. Let's try it and see, then we are in a better position to weigh in the pros and cons. Evolution prevents extinction and Test cricket in its current state finding it hard to survive on its own. Large crowds at the ground is a must to keep the interest of any sport. Therefore as a genuine cricket lover I am open to try out new ideas such as day/night tests and point system.

Reader: nutcutlet

Agreed in principle = agreed! Good idea? For women's cricket, where a series might contain a single Test at most? Fine! For a men's series in which three or more Tests are played, then I think the administrators should think again. The water is getting muddied: Test cricket is being weighted against limited overs' matches. That destroys the integrity of Test cricket. Test cricket is not 'just another format': its demands on the players are very different. The disciplines of playing Test cricket are not those that serve the purposes of playing effective 50 overs or t20 cricket. Take line and length bowling: a definite plus in TC, fodder in t20! Does rugby take the Sevens version as anything other than a less complex version of the real thing? That is where LO cricket lies in comparison with TC. Arguably the differences are even greater, because the pitch size is not reduced in rugby. I think that there is a case for bundling the two LO formats, but leave Tests as freestanding!

Reader: RodStark

The idea seems to be that if this scheme were fully implemented, we could have a real World Champion of cricket, rather than a champion in each separate format. (Of course, we could still have those as well. We could still award the Ashes based on the tests only, but the points from both tests and one-day games would count in the "championship".) The difficulty would be weighing tests vs. ODIs vs. T20s, and how to account for series of different lengths. If these issues could be resolved, I really like the idea of having an overall "best team" ranking.

Reader: venkatb

I saw quite a few Test matches during this period including the 72-73 match vs. England - when Graham Roope came in as a substitute fielder, we heard one section of the crowd belting the famous Aradhana song "Roope Tera Mastana"! And ironically Pataudi was returning to the Indian side in that match, and it was his wife Sharmila Tagore's movie. And yes I did see the Barry Wood jig, Tony Greig's usual antics, Durrani being egged on for a 6! Enjoyable indeed - there was a very festive atmosphere stretching from Chepauk all the way to the Island Grounds where the annual Pongal exhibition and festivities were on.

Reader: leggie

Wonderfully written article - bringing back some nostalgic memories. To me, Chepauk used to symbolize everything that was good about India and the longer format of cricket. The first time I ever heard about Chepauk was when as a kid I was served "laddu" (as they say in Chennai) after Vishy's 96 won India a Test against the mighty W.Indies. If that was a landmark win, so was a win vs. Australia in 2001 that set the foundation for India's ascent to World#1. The crowds always thronged every day of a Test match, and the cricketing knowledge of the public was simply amazing. The Chepauk wicket could be compared to the best of the best cricketing wickets in the world - with days one and part of day two offering pace and bounce, part of day two and three offering excellent batting conditions, day four beginning to offer spin and day five making the batsmen dance to the tune of spin :) Of course things have changed now. Is it not necessarily a bad thing? - I don't think so. I miss that Chepauk

Reader: tushmath

6 0 4 6 6 6. It's impossible to pick just one moment for a sportsman who has produced so many and whose career I followed very closely. THE Sachin moment has to be the first time I saw him bat. I was 6 at that time and I distinctly remember being upset when I saw this unknown 16 year old came out to bat against Pakistan in a chase that was going nowhere. If I remember correctly Azhar hadn't batted yet.

I remember Qadir taunting Sachin after he hit Mushtaq Ahmed out of the park. Then Sachin really announced himself on the world stage in an exhibition match that no one really seemed to care too much about.

I can never forget the excitement I felt that over as Qadir went for 604666 against this teenager who he had just tried to rile up. I felt that I had seen something really special that late afternoon. And Sachin coming out to bat would provide with the same thrill and excitement for the next 24 years.

Reader: johnthekiwi

I remember that tour well. I could only see a few highlights on TV at night but thanks to SW radio was able to listen in before school for a couple of hours. I never got to see much of Patterson and when I did I didn't think he was as quick as some of the other speed merchants but I must have missed him at his best. To do what he did against India in India is pretty impressive. @JB633-I think the statistics would make the 2013/14 Ashes team look like world beaters compared to what happened in '86 when England got...umm...86'd.

Reader: brahams

Indeed, Patrick Patterson was frightening quick in his younger days! I have some memories of him touring India in 1987. India was bundled out for 75 odd runs on a seaming wicket and PP took 5 wickets in the first innings. What I remember most was the sheer pace that no other bowlers appeared to have. The reaction time for Dujon was quite telling! Indian batsmen looked pale and frightened, and this was without a word spoken or puerile theatrics that we see today.