Australia v West Indies second Test: Players not to blame for Aussies popularity dip

The Australian cricket team is experiencing a dip in popularity but does it have anything to do with the poor crowds to start the summer? The results may surprise you.

Australia is backing Scott Boland to produce again if called upon to replace Pat Cummins. Photo by Michael Klein.

A leading market research company has claimed Pat Cummins’ passion for climate change has divided opinion in Australia, but that his popularity will win out in the end.

True North is a company specialising in the emotional connection of fans to sporting teams, and on its current rankings of the country’s most popular national sporting teams, they have confirmed the Australian men’s Test cricket side are experiencing a dip in popularity.

As debate rages over whether players are on the nose with the public or whether they’re bearing the brunt of problems with the sport overall, News Corp posed a series of questions to True North in a bid to reveal the full context of what its extensive research says about Australian cricket and players.

The market research reveals Pat Cummins has divided some fans, but remains overwhelmingly popular. Picture: Getty Images.

The research has not been conducted specifically on this issue, but in a nutshell this is News Corp’s interpretation of what the research suggests about Australian cricket.

*Captain Cummins is the leader of a new generation and is overwhelmingly popular with young people who share his views on the environment, but are less vocal on social media than his detractors from older generations, who feel he should stick to playing. Cummins has found himself in the middle of a generational divide but overall, he is a fundamentally popular sporting figure.

*The Australian men’s Test team often bears the brunt of cricket’s ability as a sport to shoot itself in the foot.

*The Australian men’s Test team often bears the brunt of failings from Cricket Australia’s head office and the sport’s ability to shoot itself in the foot.

*The decline in fans having an emotional connection to the Australian team can often be linked to times when ex-greats are publicly expressing negative opinions about the sport.

*The popularity of players and the team likely has nothing to do with the low crowds to start the summer, given cricket crowds are often modest and impacted largely by the quality of the opposition or contest.

*Research trends say there is no long-term disconnect with fans and the Australian team can bounce back with winning a key factor.

The Aussie Test team often bears the brunt of the failings by Cricket Australia. Picture: Getty Images.

PAT CUMMINS

When Cummins took over the captaincy of the Australian men’s team last year he was one of the country’s most popular mainstream athletes, perhaps second only to tennis champion Ash Barty.

Cummins inadvertently found himself in the crosshairs of critics when it was revealed Australia’s $40 million sponsorship deal with Alinta Energy was due to come to an end, even though he and Cricket Australia strongly refuted any assertion that his personal views on the environment had anything to do with the agreement ending.

True North did not share the specific data it has collected on Cummins, but the company has done extensive research on climate change issues and how they’re interpreted by the public. Director Chris Hobden believes athletes like Cummins that stand for environmental issues put themselves in the middle of a generational divide. Overall though the research reflects Cummins’ fundamental popularity.

True North Director Chris Hobden believes what Cummins’ stands for as Australian captain has put him in the middle of a generational divide, but that he will win the battle with the public in the end.

“Cricket fans fall on either side of that debate,” said Hobden.

“There is a cohort, often younger, who are more likely to be pro climate change. On the opposite side, there are those who have more traditional views.

“The former are largely supportive of sport playing a role in sustainability and reducing its impact on the environment as they hold similar views, but there are others, particularly an older cohort, who feel sport should not be getting involved in these issues.”

The research also suggests the players are not to blame for the low crowds to start the summer of cricket. Picture: Getty Images.

PLAYERS PAYING THE PRICE FOR MIS-HITS BY CRICKET IN GENERAL:

The Australian women’s cricket team is regularly at the top of True North’s rankings of most popular national sporting teams – with research showing the men’s team is often the lightning rod for any negative noise that permeates around the sport.

Hobden believes the handling of the Justin Langer departure and the constant noise generated about the controversy by him and others has impacted on the emotional connection of fans, as did the Sandpapergate scandal and the outrage that caused amongst ex-greats.

But there is no evidence of any long-term disconnect.

“Our BenchMark study investigates the Emotional Connection to sport and sponsors. The stronger the emotional connection to a sports property the more likely that property’s supporter base will conduct the desired behaviours: attend, subscribe, engage with the property’s sponsors etc,” said Hobden.

“The Australian Men’s Cricket Test team has shown some inconsistencies in our rankings dating back to 2018. Issues self-inflicted in South Africa that will occasionally raise their head again, plus successes on the field in subsequent years, have contributed to this effect.

“There are many aspects that can deepen the emotional connection to a sports property. Understanding the drivers of emotional connection (and these will vary within the follower base) and then leveraging these drivers is where the Australian Men’s Cricket Test team needs to focus to provide more consistency in its BenchMark score.”

LOW CROWDS NOT PLAYERS FAULT

Cricket Australia have announced that day one of the Gabba Test against the stronger South Africa is almost sold out, after tickets in Adelaide for the West Indies were slashed to 25 per cent off.

For February’s tour of India, renowned tour group organiser Luke Sparrow says he has a particularly high number of fans signed up, with the Dharamsala part of the tour already sold out.

WHY VICTORIAN CULT HERO COULD BE PERFECT FIT FOR ADELAIDE TEST

Nathan Lyon believes forgotten cult hero Scott Boland can recreate his MCG magic on an almost identical wicket in Adelaide.

Australia’s bowlers were put on ice at Tuesday night’s training session under lights, with Pat Cummins completing half an hour of solid run throughs with his quad heavily strapped and the physio watching on (as well as some throwing drills), before a likely fitness test on Wednesday.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc played golf on Tuesday which is a sign they have recovered well from their heavy workloads in Perth, with young firebrand Lance “The Wild Thing” Morris and pink ball specialist Michael Neser highly unlikely to play, with Boland the only quick who bowled in the nets on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Australia kept a close eye on England’s all-time masterclass victory over Pakistan on television, but although impressed and entertained, Lyon insists his world No. 1 team won’t be changing their style for next year’s Ashes just because of the “Baz Ball” revolution.

After an off-season out of the team, Boland is on standby to come into the attack for Cummins and Lyon believes the 6-7 miracle man will discover that the Adelaide deck will be very much to his liking.

Boland took Australian cricket by storm with his 6-7 against England at the MCG, as Australia clinched the 21/22 Ashes series. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Why? Because it was actually used as the blueprint for the creation of the MCG surface he created history on in last summer’s Ashes.

“It’s pretty similar to be honest. I wouldn’t be surprised if Damien (Hough, Adelaide curator) has had some conversation with the Melbourne curators about how to do drop in wickets to his level,” said Lyon.

“So that wicket last year was pretty similar to an Adelaide wicket.

“Probably the closest a MCG on a drop in wicket has been to Adelaide.

“I’m expecting pretty similar things if Scott gets the opportunity with the pink ball. I don’t think too many things will change. His confidence is up and so it should be.”

Adelaide’s “Boss of the Moss” Hough, very much played down his influence on the Melbourne wicket – crediting MCG curator Matt Page – but admits he sees no reason why Adelaide’s extra layer of grass won’t suit Boland’s skill set as a subtle destroyer.

“You would think if it worked for Scott in Melbourne, it can work here,” said Hough.

Boland backed up his MCG heroics against England last summer with impressive follow-up performances in Sydney and Hobart, but he has been virtually unsighted since as Australia only needed to call on their top-line quicks for the tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

At 33 years of age, it’s an interesting place for Boland to be.

The Victorian star is a massive chance to play in Adelaide, strongly favoured to play again in Melbourne against South Africa and then he could play a role on next year’s Ashes tour where some feel his seam and swing could become a major weapon for Australia on grassy English wickets and under their cloudy skies.

Boland looms as the natural replacement should Aussie skipper Pat Cummins fail to recover from a quad injury in time for the Adelaide Test match. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) /

Anticipation is already building for what promises to be one of the great Ashes tours between the current best team in the world and the England Entertainers. Australia is respectful of the Baz Ball achievement but not about to take a backward step.

“I watched it, it’s bloody exciting. So hats off to Baz and Stokesy,” said Lyon.

“I know what that Rawalpindi wicket is like, and they found a way to win a Test match over there.

“It’s an exciting brand of cricket. But to be honest with you, we’ve all got our own ways of playing Test cricket. And ours is going OK at the moment. So we don’t need to change ours at the moment.”

Suddenly Boland is staring down the barrel of an earlier than expected return to the attack against the West Indies in Adelaide, with severe doubt over Cummins due to the risk of his minor strain becoming more serious off such a short turnaround.’

Lyon said Boland is ready to rumble again.

“His skill set has always been at the top in my eyes,” said Lyon of Boland.

“What I see in Scott now is his confidence levels have obviously gone up a little bit and so they should have.

“He’s a world class bowler and he’s only had a limited taste of international cricket, but when he’s had his opportunity he’s done extremely well.

“He’s one of the most nicest, humble blokes going around. So it’s really good to see his shoulders go back a little bit and have that confidence to go out there and understand what his role is required and he’ll go out there if he gets his opportunity and do it as well as we know.”

Originally published as Australia v West Indies second Test: Players not to blame for Aussies popularity dip