The concentration of cricket in recent weeks continues to accentuate a major flaw in the game – scheduling.
While one Australian team skippered by Matthew Wade wraps up a two-day game against the Indian Board President’s XI in Chennai, George Bailey led the Australia’s Twenty20 side into battle against the West Indies at the Gabba in the final T20 game of the Australian summer.
Surely the point has been reached where the administrators not only have to revise the schedule but also to consider separating the different forms of the game into their own “seasons”.
The rapid expansion of T20 cricket around the globe has further exposed the game’s huge dependence on the financial clout and the relatively small pool of marquee players.
The business model is highly dependent on drawcards to make it financially viable, and the number of tournaments drawing from that small pool of players continues to grow.
The ICC must scale down this farcical merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for a Test tour and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in.
Many outsiders are quick to criticise India for misusing its power at the administration table. However, the other major cricket bodies are even quicker to accept its money.
They rarely challenge India when it wields its power in an attempt to mollycoddle to India’s wishes. By my definition, this makes the other administrations equally guilty of any misuse of power.
First and foremost, Test cricket deserves to be protected. It is the format where a player will be judged over the course of his career. It is the true test of any cricketer.
Administrators need to formulate a co-operative approach to devise a workable schedule, one that is acceptable to the players while satisfying the financial needs of the game.
Discussions on a grand plan for cricket’s future should continue to include the option of playing only two forms of the game, or of retaining three versions but scheduling T20 cricket as a club-only franchise model.
If the game future includes only the two forms, then the 50-over game is the one most likely to become extinct. This may open the way for a hybrid 30-over game as a representative of the shorter format.
Cricket is fortunate to have choice of different formats but this will only remain the case if the decisions made about its future are in the best interest of the players, fans and good of the game.
Don Corleone
Guest
I think Cricket Australia made a huge tactical mistake years ago by placing the overwhelming emphasis on the national side to the neglect of Sheffield Shield and One Day Cup. The results of this has been the health of the sport in general hanging on the successes or failures of the national team, a tiny privileged pool of elite players, a national team harder to get dropped from than to get into and meaningless bi-lateral ODIs. I can certainly see the need to contract the international schedule and reinvest in and raise the profile of domestic cricket in Australia. I remember the glory days of the Mercantile Mutual Cup. I contrast it to the 20 people at the SCG watching the Ryobi Cup game this week. How can anyone engage with a team when you can't even by a cap, playing shirt or flag or watch it on free-to-air TV anymore? The BBL has awakened the sleeping giant of domestic cricket. People want to see it. I hope Cricket Australia work towards a strong Shield, one-day cup and Big Bash with players contesting national honours even if it means a smaller international schedule.
Richard
Guest
Stick to traditional test cricket in whites. It won't be long before people are coming back in droves. The T20 circus makes me want to call for Arch down the big white telephone.
turbodewd
Roar Guru
Hi guys I am former total cricket tragic. Im 38 and grew up religiously watching tests and one-dayers. By the late '90s and certainly by 2000 I had completely lost interest - why? 1. Australia was winning all the time. 2. The Australian team were boorish on the pitch. Their verbal aggression was a turn off. Seeing verbal altercations on the pitch I found ugly. I truly believe cricket has HUGE potential, but its being mismanaged. India utterly gazumped Austrailan cricket by setting up the IPL...our BBL is a joke. Indeed the name Big Bash League tells us not to take it seriously, neither do the silly uniforms and pathetic unoriginal names. Cricket Australia must attempt to create the NBA or NFL of cricket. Supplant India as the center of cricket. I cant see it happening. Every summer we're served up with a mismatch hodge podge of games with no meaning or purpose. Between football seasons there is a huge opportunity and its squandered every year. CA you are a joke!
Backheel
Guest
Bring back the world series cup for 50/50 (or 40/40 or 20/20) games but it should be based on Rugby's current format but with the international series. Have Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and one touring team play in a four way series with each team playing the other four times (two home and two away - and the touring team would be all four away obviously) so each southern team gets 8 home games. Top 2 teams play in a best of 3 final series. It add some meaning and context to the limited overs games.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Johnno doesn't seem to value cricket, only money and "innovation" that will almost uniformly wreck the nature of the game. Subs, running a wrecking ball through the Shield, bonus runs in Tests - none of these have any place in cricket. My thoughts on scheduling, with a correction or two oin the comments, haven't really changed mych sine I wrote this - http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/10/04/changes-to-international-cricket-scheduling-key-for-growth/ The idea that any nation would have an international and a tour match on at the same time never even crossed my mind. That situation does, in my view, highlight the need to reduce the glut of 50 over games though.
JeffRo
Roar Pro
Too much top level cricket all round, no matter what the format. Why is the NRL so successful? Because to follow a rugby league team week to week, you have to follow a club side. That is the staple diet, with S of O and some international as anticipated special events. The cricket model has the top players playing almost totally for the national side, meaning the domestic comps have quickly become 2nd grade. Add to this that almost right through the cricket season (and off season) the national side plays, the reasons to watch domestic cricket are almost gone. Perhaps one of the reasons T20 domestic crickets draws decent crowds is because there is top players involved and as yet the international season isn't flooded with it. Expect that to change.
AndyMack
Guest
So drop 50/50 cricket, but bring in 30/30 cricket. Not sure that will solve the scheduling issues. The problem to me is not the 3 formats of the game, but this trying to squueze so much cricket in. We have already played tests against SA and SL this summer, plus squeezing in a test tour to india, in prep for back to back ashes series. I do miss the days when we would have 1 test team touring in the summer, with a third team to play the odis, and then we would have one overseas tour in the winter. But money dictates.
AndyMack
Guest
Not sure what the theory is with dropping the shield by 50%. Surely we should be getting more FC cricket into our players, not less. You didnt really elaberate the point so not sure the thinking.
Johnno
Guest
My strategic plan to save OZ cricket and cricket in general or some ideas too many to list but here are some. -National teams in test cricket coloured clothing national uniforms, so long as the red ball won't be difficult to see by the batters. -Shield go to 5 rounds and a Grand final. cut it by 5, . Align it with start of summer of test cricket as they are doing now anyway. -Extend the BBL trans-tasman BBL, more teams is way to extend so teams don't play any more than now just more teams, and split into conferences. -EG-Get NZ conferences - Auckland/South Auckland/Wellington/Christrhuch/Dunedin -And employ conference model like super rugby. Winner of each conference no 1, gets automatic finals spot. -Expansion teams in OZ -Canberra,Woollongong, make 1 sydney team re-brand West Sydney, central coast team, Newcastle, Cairns,Townville, Geelong, Gold Coast team. I wont go all FFA cup and suggest Cooma tigers put in a team lol, in a BBL promo/relgation style divisions, but more teams the better. -Make ODI cricket 40 overs or 35 overs. And keep it at 5 to 7 match series. 3 is too short. 5 TO 7 games bring in the cash, and fans all over OZ can watch the national team play, and more tv ratings $$ for cricket Australia to pay the bills. -Somehow we have to try and find a financial deal to get STH Africa for 5 tests. 75,000 on boxing day vs South Africa at MCG. -Also bring in bonus runs or wicket too test cricket, and sub rule. -If you in the 1st innings or 2nd inning , get say 75 runs or 90 runs in the 1st 15 overs, you get a bonus 20 or 30 runs. Challenge facing the new ball, do you go for quick runs, and could be exciting in 4th innings when pitch is cricking up v the new ball. Or if you get to 90 runs you have choice of extra wicket, in other words 1 batter can bat twice who is in the middle when the runs are made, or take the runs. Exciting idea that, it won't lead to match fixing or exotic bets, it will just excite the game. -And 1 sub rule per series. Each test or or ODI series, each team is allowed 1 sub rule in the whole series. So once and once only in the series, if a player gets injured or a tactical move the nominated sub before the test match starts, and you can only nominate 1 per match who will be the designated 12th man, he can be subbed in during that match, and only once. And once that sub has been made no turning back, just 1 swap. And you only get 1 each all series. SO if the sub is injured in his 1st over bowling , bad luck you can't re-sub him back -He is a utility player and a good utility player. And I support Australia finding that utility player, since Shane Watson our last good utility player, has seemingly focused on batting now. - A few utility players like Henriques, and Steve Smith, and George Bailiey, good utility players putting there hand up. I haven't given up on Andrew Mcdonald coming back as our utility player. He is a good catcher, outfielder, batter,bowler, a good utility. Like a good pitcher Andrew Mcdonald mixes his pace up well, and pitches a good line and length.