Where to for cricket in Australia? Deep inside CA’s bunkers is a whiteboard listing the myriad questions facing Australian cricket with seemingly few answers. Scheduling? Rotation? Khawaja? Watson?
Having resisted the urge to write this article a million times over the summer, the thumb-twiddling associated with holidays has finally won out.
Scheduling is an issue that has become tiresome in its debate, but strap yourself in because so has the rest of what’s under discussion.
Test cricket is like a sitcom. You love it, partially because if you get something better to do and miss an episode you haven’t really missed much. Try missing an episode of Lost and making sense of the next one. Actually try watching any episode of Lost and making sense of it.
White-ball cricket is a meaningless money spinner. I don’t hate it, but I don’t care for it in the slightest.
This would all change if I were boss of Cricket Australia though. CA needs the white ball, so we’re not going to reinvent the wheel here, but it can be simplified. Internationally we must play at least five home Tests a year – either two three-match series or a single five-match series.
The last two Tests are Boxing Day and New Year’s, so get the other games in before them. It makes sense the Sheffield Shield runs alongside Test cricket, and it makes sense the Ryobi Cup runs alongside the Shield. So we run Test cricket, Sheffield Shield and Ryobi Cup until December 31.
Here comes our first big doozy – do we wind up the Sheffield Shield when we wind up Test matches, with a Boxing Day final perhaps? Or do we need the Shield to run from February-March for overseas tour selections? If the tour leaves before the Shield gets a chance to resume, then perhaps we don’t need it post New Year.
White ball cricket is for kids. Or people without the perspective to realise if it’s not a World Cup nobody cares. Play the Big Bash in January over four weeks. It’s school holidays, people have time off work and its generally great early evening weather. It would make sense to make that period free of international cricket, but CA needs to maintain a free-to-air position, so play three 50-over matches against the touring Test nation as early in January as possible.
All players who have played in the last two Tests could be released to their families for the first two weeks of January. It’s a crap idea, but at least it makes sense as opposed to the dartboard formula of “informed player management” used currently.
Get the ODIs out of the way before the BBL finals start, and explain why Channel 9 wouldn’t want full strength BBL finals with meaningful Champions League places up for grabs on their screens in late January.
Quite simply, after January, who cares? Souths play the Return to Redfern in the second week of February, and there is the All Stars game, so for me and I’m assuming you too, it’s footy season and cricket is forgotten about. Except of course, when I spend hours writing articles on the subject.
I imagine CA will schedule another ODI series of made-for-TV cricket, perhaps a three-game Australia versus Australia A series?
Too much oxygen has been wasted on the subject of rotation. John Inverarity and Pat Howard, I’m looking at you. Quite simply you pick the best 11 fit cricketers for meaningful cricket. In 1996 Michael Jordan played every game of basketball for the Chicago Bulls. Champions don’t rest and they sure as hell don’t want to.
Every Test match is precious, particularly while we’re not clean sweeping series in three days, so if a player is fit he should be picked. Rest and rotate in the coloured clothes but not with the sacrosanct Baggy Green. Moving on!
Usman Khawaja. Three thousand people opened this thread because I mentioned his name. Yawn. A good, solid bat but The Don reincarnate he is not. Deserved a run out in Sydney and has earnt ‘next cab off the rank’ stripes but needs big scores when given an opportunity.
Shane Watson. The world’s most over-rated red ball cricketer. Yawn. Edging towards the last chance saloon for Watto in the Test side. Chapelli says he is perhaps our second-best bat, which I can live with, but his record doesn’t reflect this. At Test level you live off your record, not your class, poise or potential. The Australian cricket side is judged on a currency of runs and wickets, Watson needs more.
To complete the liquorice all-sorts cricket discussion I’ll have a crack at selecting the First Test side to play India. Keep in mind this is the side I believe will be picked, not what I would select. I’m not a selector so the fact Steve O’Keefe is a better cricketer than half our touring side is irrelevant.
Cowan
Warner
Hughes
Watson
Clarke
Wade
Henriques
Pattinson
Siddle
Doherty
Lyon
Maxwell (12th man)
I wasn’t around on the Roar when Cowan hit four consecutive first-class tons to get his Test spot, but I imagine the familiar Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, and Alex Doolan fan club anointed him the saviour of Australian cricket back then?
Cowan has done enough and will be selected, while Glen Maxwell is a great bloke, good team man et al and has surely been selected on drink-mixing abilities, so he gets the nod ahead of Khawaja who has much to work on in those areas.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I sometimes forget that there are people now who actually don't get that Test and First Class cricket is the only important top level cricket. Its just such a basic of the game that it should not need to be stated.
Don Corleone
Guest
Thank you. I'm glad my small contribution inspired a moment of self-reflection.
tra
Roar Rookie
Also, the Argus Review rightly cemented test cricket as our primary focus. The only way to assure that that mentality is engrained is to support red ball cricket at state level. If we reduce the importance of state red ball cricket we risk players taking the mentality of the current crop of West Indians.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
It used to be that, unless an NZ tour was scheduled, Test players would be available for the Shield and ListA finals. Sadly that is not the case any more. Those playing international cricket rarely play at state level any more. This is really knocking player development around, as the competition they are up against is not as strong as it could be. Unfortunately, the amount of international cricket played now leaves little scope for players to return to the Shield. Even those who play Test only tend to not be playing in the Shield, because the international one day games largely coincide with the BBL so there is no Shield for them to go back to.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
The point is that while some guys are in India, and some will probably fail, there is still a chance for players to show their wares for the next touring squad - in this case to England. There may also be a need to send over an emergency to India, though with a squad of 17 that shouldn't be the case, having some First Class cricket behind them would be of benefit even with entirely different conditions. Some years the next tour after the Australian summer might be in March or April, right on the end of the Shield season (this is far less liekly now than it used to be however, if there isn't a Test tour until April they will normaly squeeze in a pointless limited overs series or two). Five matches isn't really enough for player, particularly batsmen, to really show they are in good form.
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
Agreed. Cricket Australia needs a streamlined schedule, which ensures the best players are available for the premium events. The BBL finals, Test matches, Shield and Ryobi finals. Ensure the high meaning contests are high quality and you improve the product dramatically. Roarers I must say this is a terrible argument, written it seems with CA precision. Kids dont write at 4am because then you end up with this mix mash that doesn't flow or come close to articulating the key messages intended. Essentially it boils down to whats written above. Organise the schedule to improve each product as much as possible. The battle is balancing the commercial white ball with the sporting red ball
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
I do not care in the slightest about attendance. Not one iota. I question the relevance however of the second half of this shield season. The side was off to India pretty much around the time the Shield resumed so whats the point? We've picked a touring squad without any red ball form for almost three months
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
The best players should be available come crunch time. Two distinct competitions this year one before ODIs and one after just isnt good enough - Stars lost a whole top side almost. So if they're back before finals I would say thats better then taking them away come finals time.
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
If theres one certianty its Johnno will have a crack. For me BBL is a January run competition. Simple as that, start NYE perhaps with double headers in Melbourne and Sydney. viewers choice on Fox Sports. Not enough talent for more teams though ODIs make money. So they stay. Just need to figure out how we can ensure ODIs dont take away from BBL. 5 games is perhaps not enough first class and limited overs cricket
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
Cracking contribution. I must say re-reading the article that it sounds like Im on crack, terribly incohesive. But no indifference to cricket, the hours I spend playing and watching drives the girlfriend insane. But by February, personally I'm over the made for TV mickey mouse stuff, over summer and counting down the days until footy is back. Each to their own
A View From the Top
Roar Pro
As I said numerous times BBL and ODI cricket is very important financially. Its just the reality is the results dont really mean anything, so while I still watch a hell of a lot of cricket Im not as emotionlly invested. Is it worth restarting the Shield if a touring squad is picked and out of the country by the time we get back around too it?
lolly
Guest
You want a season of state cricket to consist of five rounds of each format. (apart from the BBL) Exactly what do you expect the national selectors to learn from that, Johnno? Or would you want them to watch club cricket more often so they'd have some idea who was doing what below national level?
Tenash
Guest
are u serious Deccas ? Scheduling and Info is hard to access ? How difficult is it to type Sheffield Shield in GOOGLE ? Or to just visit the CA website for info ?
Johnno
Guest
One thing that should happen that would really help draw interest is schedule, the shield grand final, where all the test players are available. Remember the good old days when the shield grand final, was known as the unofficial test match. Those days should come back. So get guys like Mick Clarke, Pat Cummins, James Pattison, Siddle, Mitch Johnson, Shane Watson, playing in the shield grand final. You could with modern marketing and play it on day 1 of saturday even pinch 20,000 , to the match. Heck remember QLD's 1st shield win in 1994/5, every day at the gabber was a sell out, it was great buzz, state cricket at it's best. And show the shield grand final on free to air not just pay tv, as well with all the star players and play it over 5 days as they do now.
tra
Roar Rookie
Winding up the shield early is dangerous. A strong shield = a strong national side. The only issue there is attendance - cheaper tickets and cheaper beer will sort that out.
Deccas
Guest
See i had no idea of that. I wouldn't know how to go and see a shield game, or when they are on the information is hard to access. They should get it a little better with the streaming quality and certainly with the playing quality. It does turn out that we are playing a bit more cricket than we should these days. Thanks for clearing that up for me timmuh.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Shield cricket is cheap, and often free. Certainly no more than $5. All Shield games are streamed live on Cricket Australia's site. Admittedly poor quality and only one camera (static at some grounds) makes viewing difficult. A few more games in regional areas might help, and trying to arrange scheduling so that Test players are available more often. Ponting played something like four Shield games in the last decade of his Test career. That isn't good for the Shield's exposure, or good for developing the next set of players as they never play with or against the best on the land. I think we just have to accept that Shield's only role now is to develop players. That means it needs to be a full ten games, across the whole season.
Deccas
Guest
If they really wanted to look after australian cricket the board would start using the brilliant new internet technology that the kids seem to talk about so much. The strength of cricket is its long form. Everyone knows this. The others can be pleasant diversions and a bot of fun, but cricket isn't a game people enjoy for its highlights real. Its a game about mental fortitude and stubborn resistance, persistence and cunning. There is talk of the 20/20 generation but I know plenty of young'uns who prefer the long form. Shield cricket should be free, or 5 bucks or something reasonable. Get people in the gate, so it doesn't feel like an unappreciated wasteland for players. Maybe do a bit of advertising to get people to realise when and how to go to games. But cricket is one of the few games that is better to view televised than live. Cricket aus should do live internet streaming of all shield fixtures, as well as short and extended highlights of each session and days play, all at one easily accessed and well advertised website. Put some forums in there, serious cricket fans love talking about cricket more than they like watching it, but doing both at the same time is better than possibly anything else. If we have to incorprate this 20/20 nonsense then do it like we do one day cricket, whereby on a tour you play a shield game, a cup game and then hit and giggle a little before the teams fly home. Having a break in the season is possibly the worst idea crick aus has had since marcus north. Treat the game and its fans with respect, give us access to want we want to see and inform us about how we can go about that. You can advertise in your stream or even get people to pay a subscription I'd chuck in a tenner to watch shield cricket. Its not super complex stuff.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Some of this doesn't make sense. The New Years day Test starts on 3 January to 8 January. If you then send the Test players home for two (2) weeks, that means they aren't back until 22 January. How many BBL games are they going to play then? I do like the idea of winding the Shield up early. I agree, play it all and then have the final in either late December or early January.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Johnno, the purpose of the Sheffield Shield is not to provide entertainment for people (as you rightly point out, nobody watches it), but rather to act as a training field for international selection in Test matches. As such, it needs to be retained in its current format. The worry is how (and when) to play enough of the games that do earn revenue for CA without overburdening the players or the viewing public.