National Selection Panel chairman John Inverarity has pointed to T20 cricket to blame for influencing Australia’s recent batting woes.
Inverarity isn’t alone in his views of T20’s impact on young batsmen in Australia, with many former players also putting blame on the shortest format of the game.
But to blame T20 is a simplistic view, with many other factors in first class cricket in recent years has affected batting techniques or lack thereof.
It wasn’t long ago when each Australian pitch had its own characteristics.
The WACA was hard, fast and bouncy, the SCG was known as a spinner’s paradise and we even saw Test at Adelaide Oval where Australia played two spinners.
These different wickets gave first class exposure against different conditions, testing and teaching them skills against the bouncy and turning ball.
But in recent years wickets not just across the country but across the world have become flatter and easier to bat on.
It simply means batsmen’s skills haven’t been tested nearly as much. The uniqueness of Australia’s pitches had disappeared.
The WACA is nowhere near the fast wicket it once was, the SCG is no longer the turner we used to see and it has been to the detriment of our developing batsman.
Nothing was more evident of how soft batsmen have had it then in this seasons’ matches at Bellerive Oval.
The ground for much of the season was green and the ball swung, resulting in many low scores in Shield games there.
The ground was also savaged by the media before the Test match against Sri Lanka there and the year before in the corresponding match against New Zealand.
Instead of celebrated for giving the bowlers the assistance that had been lacking on so many pitches in recent years it was labelled as bad to bat on.
It is this kind of attitude that has had a greater impact on Australia’s batsman. For too long they simply haven’t been exposed to the moving ball often enough and long enough for them to learn to handle it.
To blame T20 is wrong, the best players will always adjust to different formats, like Mike Hussey and Jacques Kallis who have been able to play all three forms and not have it affect their form at Test level.
Australia has struggled against quality spin bowling recently, maybe part off that is due to lack of quality spin bowling at Shield level but we also see very few pitches that offer spinners much assistance making it easy for batsman.
If Cricket Australia want to unearth batsman who can bat for long periods of times under different conditions then they must do what they can to get each ground back to their old characters and allow the batsman to grow under them.
Kris
Guest
I couldn't agree more. Ed Cowan's diary really illustrated the real disruption that it has on every facet of a players life and routine. The potential detrimental effect of the T20 Big Bash even more compounded by the messing about with 'franchises' with different coaches, home bases, formats etc. Prior to the current model, at least a player could maintain their consistency of approach in training, regardless of format. Now, they can't. It's easy to be flippant about the way in which this undermines good outcomes.
Tinkerbell
Guest
I totally agree with the premis - it has been something that has bugged me since I was a kid. Personally, I think the problem is Channel 9 - for all its history the commentators were invariably batsmen (yes - I know skipper Mr B but the rest were all batters). As a result, if they rocked up to Adelaide - they would describe it as a 'great wicket' because to them - it was! Lets face it - any batsmen doing a pitch report loves to see a nice consistent road without any green, dust or cracking. As a result, I think groundsman got progressivley gunshy as any wicket with a bit in it for the bowlers got picked on by the commentators - how often do you hear comments about the pitch when a bloke gets out? Its always - 'aw - he (the seamer) had a bit of help from the wicket there' etc etc. However, when the batters belt 350/2 by the end of day one its always 'such and such has produced a great wicket here...'. I have always viewed a big first innings score easilly made to be a failure of the pitch - batting should be HARD. I would far rather watch a side fight to 300 than belt 550 and declare. But, given the advertising revenue seems to be skewed highly in the favour of the batsmen, I can't see it happening any time soon.
Trev
Roar Rookie
Yes Kallis grew up without T20 but even so he can still adjust too each level, even without growing up needing too always be attacking the bowler he has still had success in T20 because of his technique. The best batsman will always adjust to what's in front off them and unlucky many young batsmen today, Kallis has been exposed too many different conditions and has experience batting in them.
DJW
Guest
I wonder if these friendly batting pitches having anything to do with 5 days of cricket = more revenue. Maybe those are the top are pushing wickets that last 5 days and hopefully give a result? I like bowler friendly pitches, its a true test of the batsmen. I miss the old WACA, Gabba and SCG ptiches.
Trev
Roar Rookie
They've always adapted too different formats though, always been short turn around from a Shield match too a 50 over match.
Chui
Guest
I don't think drop in pitches are any help. Seems that's where a lot of the 'sameness' stems from.
Ian
Guest
There is no doubt in my mind that T20 has played a significant role in the poor techniques of Australian batsman. It's not the only reason, but I am convinced it is a significant contributor. To compare someone like Jaques Kallis is invalid because he grew up in an age where T20 was non-existent, and learnt his batting first in the longer form of the game. Take a guy like David Warner. He first made his name in T20. However, he has struggled in Test cricket due to thinking he can transfer his T20 batting into test cricket. It just doesn't work. He's not the only one, but the younger cricketers, who have grown up on T20 cricket and been successful, sometimes struggle when transitioning to test cricket. I think this is particularly evident when facing good bowling on pitches that assist the bowlers. It is also evident when a little patience is required, particularly on the first morning of a test match. Even the kids growing up today are prone to try and make runs quickly. My elder son, for example, who averaged 110 in his first season, went after the bowling almost immediately. His teammates were much the same! I would also agree than another factor has been many of the batsman friendly pitches that have been prepared. Even the Wanderers ground in South Africa, once nicknamed the "green mamba," because it was so deadly for batsman, is a shadow of what it used to be.
Atawhai Drive
Roar Guru
It's simplistic to say that Inverarity blames T20 per se for Australia's current batting woes. Rather than T20 itself, his objection is to the scheduling that denies first-class experience to young players. Here's a link to an interview with Inverarity published in Cricinfo yesterday: http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/633119.html
Timmuh
Roar Guru
The break is longer, and many of the players go off and play a game which requires completely different style. I do think that combination could have an impact on both mentality and technique.
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
100% agree. I wrote a piece not long ago about surface homogenisation in tennis killing many aspects of the game, and I feel this is a good parallel to what you talk about. By making pitches play closer to each other in nature, in theory it should result in more 'entertaining' cricket with higher scores because batsman aren't being properly tested.
Praveen
Guest
I like your confidence Sunil, and agree with your lineup
Sunil
Guest
We have the batsman to win the ashes. 1.Warner 2.Cowan 3.Hughes 4.Clarke 5.Khawaja 6.Watson 7.Haddin 8.Pattinson 9.Harris 10.Lyon 11.SiddleWatson must bowl. All of the top 6 (except Clarke) are on notice…if no runs in the first 2 tests, they must be dropped. Starc to get a game if any of the quicks break-down or dont threaten in the first 2 tests. Khawaja will do well given his recent form on tough deck and can't wait to see him in the ashes and Haddin will make this series count. As for the other batsman Hughes will be on notice, Burns and Maddinson can impress in the Aus A games and keep an eye out for D Huss next season.
Trev
Roar Rookie
The season has always been stop-start though. Sure there maybe a bigger gap in it now when it was just the Christmas break but still don't think it would have that big of an impact on batting.
Max Weber
Roar Pro
Out of players that appeared in 5 or more games, 4 batsmen averaged over 50 while 21 bowlers averaged under 25 (with plenty more averaging marginally over that). Plenty of seamers had huge success without bowling above 125/30, like Sayers and Sandhu. This points to pitches aiding the bowlers disproportionately. Not sure if this is a cause or a symptom of our lack of batting quality though. You'd think bowler friendly pitches would cultivate resilient batsmen, or at least you'd hope. I think the basic answer is there are plenty of causes as to why our batting stocks are so low. T20 is the most regular scapecoat, but not the only culprit.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I do think T20 has played a part, and playing the BBL bang in the middle of the first class season will only make that impact bigger by creating a start-stop Shield season. However, a lot of the players in the system and failing were around before T20 became a money-earner. Even worse, Australia is teaching T20 rather than technique to kids. Even India isn't doing that. Trev is correct that the pitches have a certain sameness to them in Shield cricket now. I would sugest, however, that in the last couple of years most states have moved more towards result pitches in order to maximise their chance of winning the Shield. That may assist with improving batting techniques when conditions are other than complete roads, but may also make bowlers complacent if they get too much assistance too often. The bigger issue has been built over the last 20 years or so. Our Test players rarely play Shield cricket. The second tier is never tested against the best.
Genius Selector
Guest
I disagree. 3 of our top 4 batsmen in tests play t20 (Warner is the big one, Hughes will in the future i have heard and shane watson). I believe this is why we are 4 for 50 all the time. Guys like Rogers and cowan are very valuable to the test side because they occupy the crease and take the shine off the ball which will be vital in Pommy land.
Brian
Guest
Exactly if anything Australia has more resources than most to cultivate Test specialist. Its decimated the likes of West Indies where Gayle, Bravo, Pollard aren't contracted full time to the WICB but it makes no sense here where all the other countries play T20 as well.
Chris
Guest
The whole "it's T20's fault" makes no sense. It's not like Australia is the only country to play T20.
Jayvan Collins
Roar Pro
I agree with the premise, disagree with the reason. I believe that selection panel have been looking at T20 form to pick test batsmen and ignore players form in the longer formats. You don't have to look too hard. Sure, T20 and other factors come into it. However, it seems a few good innings in the Big bash push people into the Aussie team...