"Zimbabwe will end up like Kenya" - Whatmore

[eugene]

I think South Africa can still consistently challenge the big three. If Pakistan could ever play at home they could challenge also. New Zealand will always be tough at home and are comfortable with English and Australian conditions - it is the subcontinent where they struggle.

[Kriterion_BD]

If South Africa go with a quota system they will struggle somewhat. They may not ever fall into the 2nd tier, but that just makes all the more difficult for the Big 3 to fall, IMO.

PAK challenging will be based on how good their fast bowlers are. Can they continue to churn out quality quicks...you need at least 2. The Rahat Alis and Imran Khans simply aren't good enough, IMO. NZ are good at home, but from my understanding apart from the past few years NZ have mostly been push overs in Test cricket. Will check statsguru to see how they fared vs the other top teams.

But thats kind of my point, it will be hard for teams like NZ and SL to fall out of the top tier, Big 3 are nearly immune. Its like expecting the US to someday fall out of the top 5 of basketball. Just won't happen with the quality of the NBA.

[Tristan Holme]

It just comes down to the money. If the Tier 2 games are entirely funded by the ICC it will be interesting to see how much they steal because the funding will be more transparent. Will the Tier 2 teams get the same revenues from the World Cups as the Tier 1 teams? Our cricket has imploded for a multitude of reasons, but the primary one has been wholesale thievery and if this move further reduces inflows it's going to get interesting. The top guys aren't going anywhere and will have to cut their sycophants loose and further impoverish the players. There's going to be a lot of squealing from the pigs at the diminished trough.

For sure. But if there is a structure that says Zimbabwe must fulfill all of these fixtures, and the ICC financial model supplies enough money for them to be financing them, there will no longer be an excuse. Right now there is no structure and fixtures are arranged haphazardly, with no ramifications even when Zim goes 20 months without playing a Test. This *should* provide more accountability.

As for the debate about India slipping down the rankings... The proposal currently has a top seven and bottom five, which I think makes sense. Rather have more games in tier one and fewer in tier two (although at least as many if not more than those teams are already playing). And I'm pretty sure that if the structure came into place, the BCCI would prioritise Test cricket to ensure they were never relegated. So in other words, boards would all start to put more focus back on Test cricket.

[maehara]

::cough:: I'd like to take some credit for thinking of the idea. (Although you'd have to change the teams involved from when I originally wrote that...)

[Googly]

It depends on whether the ICC's funding of this tier 2 event is to hold the specific tests or they make provision for player salaries as well. This is a real problem that the Zim players face, and I'm sure is less of a problem for the other countries. These guys of ours just can't keep their hands off the money and have zero respect for the players.
You're 100% correct in that if the games are fully financed and compulsory it has to be what we need and can only improve us. We just can't keep playing these top sides and getting minced 19/20 times, it's completely disheartening for players and fans alike.

[Kriterion_BD]

Googly, apparently the top ZIM players make quite a bit of money. Taylor's central contract I hear was worth 6 figures in US dollars and I think someone mentioned Chigumbura, of all people, is also getting a similar sum. Of course they might not get all the money contracted to them, and probably rarely on time, but they still aren't the least paid amongst the Test playing nations based solely on those figures.

[Googly]

Well Taylor was the kingpin and even those half wits recognized that.
Given their history I would be suspicious of the players earning a chunk more if their performances don't justify it (which they don't!)
The problem is they look after the handful but leave the others hanging out to dry. They are despicable people.

[ZIMFAN]

Well India are against two test system so it will never happen now, ho hum.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/conte ... 41749.html

[Googly]

They should then consider a funded tier of associates that play tests. Zim should be in this, because that's our level, simple as that.

[Kriterion_BD]

Well India are against two test system so it will never happen now, ho hum.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/conte ... 41749.html

No harm, no gain for Bangladesh. We would have lost out either way. In a 2 tier system there was the chance at guaranteed fixtures in a structured league environment, but also the chance at being stuck indefinitely.

In the current system we don't get enough fixtures, but still play the big boys here and there.

Better the status quo you know, than a future you don't I suppose.