How to improve the Big Bash League
Roar Rookie By Jason Cave, 13 Jan 2012 Jason Cave is a Roar Rookie
If the Big Bash League wants to grow and expand, looking to become an equivalent to the AFL in cricket terms, then here are some thoughts that should be entertained by Cricket Australia when they sit down at the end of this summer.
The Melbourne Renegades should be transferred to Geelong, where they should have originally been based, so that Victoria can have a Melbourne side and a Geelong side, and a natural division for supporters will form.
Teams should also be created representing the Australian Capital Territory, based in Canberra, and representing the Northern Territory, based in Darwin or Alice Springs.
The ACT and the NT have untapped cricket potential in these areas, and if Cricket Australia doesn’t give them teams in the BBL a lot of good work will be left to go to waste.
The BBL should be made a compact four-week series, starting on January 1. But we could keep the Sheffield Shield going by sending the Shield games to country areas.
All efforts should be made to get a Big Bash League higlights package shown on free-to-air TV (most likely on Channel Nine, or if Nine aren’t interested, then Ten or ONE).
If Cricket Australia don’t take notice of these kind of suggestions, then a lot of work they have made to try to convert young people aged 10-15 to cricket will be wasted. That is one of the key reasons why the BBL was set up in the first place.
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January 13th 2012 @ 12:39pm
Vas Venkatramani said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
I made this suggestion a few weeks ago in a piece, but will re-iterate what I think an ideal summer schedule for 2012/13 may look like:
October 2012
Big Bash League
November 2012
Big Bash League
Sheffield Shield
Ryobi Cup
TESTS v South Africa (3)
December 2012
Sheffield Shield
Ryobi Cup
TESTS v South Africa (3)
TESTS v Sri Lanka (3)
January 2013
Sheffield Shield
Ryobi Cup
Big Bash League
TESTS v Sri Lanka (3)
T20I v Sri Lanka (2)
CB Series v Sri Lanka/ West Indies (11)
February 2013
Big Bash League + Big Bash League final
CB Series v Sri Lanka/West Indies + CB finals (11)
Sheffield Shield
Ryobi Cup + final
March 2013
Sheffield Shield Final
January 13th 2012 @ 5:27pm
sheek said | January 13th 2012 @ 5:27pm | Report comment
Vas,
Generally, I agree with your structure, but I really think each form of comp must be played out in a bloc. Above, you have the BBL in Oct/Nov then returning in Jan/Feb.
I would prefer a progression of BBL, Sheffield Shield & Tests, Ryobi Cup. Or the BBL & RC can be changed about. You need the Shield running concurrently with the tests, so that players can maintain their form. The two go hand in glove.
Of course, CA might have to decide which is more important to the Boxing Day/New Year’s Day windows – tests or T20!
Anyone who continues to accept the line that BBL is meant to compliment tests & SS rather than replace it, might be living in a “fool’s paradise”. Might be, I say…..???
January 13th 2012 @ 2:24pm
Cameron said | January 13th 2012 @ 2:24pm | Report comment
It’s too bloody hot and humid in the NT to play cricket. Even at night, it is still in the mid-20′s to low 30′s.
January 14th 2012 @ 8:24pm
John said | January 14th 2012 @ 8:24pm | Report comment
A few points regarding the new Big Bash League and cricket in the summer.
One problem I feel with the BBL is that it is overlaping with the test series. The solution to this and the idea structure for summer cricket should be this.
1) Divide the summer into two parts/seasons. First half/season (Oct, Nov and Dec), and Second half/season(Jan, Feb Mar).
2) Move to phase out Domestic One Dayers, and subsequently one day internationals.
3) The six match international test series (5 tests for England) should played within the first half (Oct, Nov, Dec). Starting mid to late Oct and finishing with the boxing day test at the MCG. This would result in the Sydney test being brought forward to either Nov or Dec. Also the Sheffield Shield should also be ‘crammed’ into this first half (Oct, Nov, Dec), with 10 four-day tests spread across 3 months.
4) The BBL would then be able to start in the second half (Jan, Feb, Mar), with games starting New Years Day, 1st of Jan. This would give Cricket Australia the option of extending the amount of teams, from the current 8 to say 10, 12, 14 or whatever, in the future. More teams would result in a longer season.
5) Future Expansion teams include Canberra, Newcastle, Geelong, Gold Coast in the medium term, with long term maybe 2 teams from New Zealand, Wollongong and long-long-long term North QLD, CQLD, Darwin.
6) BBL teams should ideally be playing 2 games a week, CLEAR of ANY other cricket, be it International test, Sheffield Shield, International t20 and international One dayers.
9) With 8 teams playing twice a week (2 rounds a week) this would result in a total of 8 BBL games a week, 8 games for potential broadcasters which is the same amount of games (per week) the AFL and NRL has. The 8 games could be spread across 6 or 7 days (Ideally 6 days with 1 day free of T20), with games on weeknights, Sat and Sun afternoon, Sat and Sun nights.
In closing, this is a golden commercial opportunity for Cricket Australia. With sensible and pragmatic decision making, Cricket would well and truly be financially secure. In reference to the A-league, I believe it will exist for some time, but it may never be the ‘Sleeping Giant’ people like Les Murray and Craig Foster seem to predict.