They say it’s harder to get out of the Australian team than to get into it and part of the reason for this is because there’s a lot less domestic cricket here than in England.
Not only do we have fewer games, often a different domestic format is being played to what’s being played internationally at the time.
Last year, anyone trying to get in Test form was playing T20 cricket in December. Then Sheffield Shield games were played when players were trying to get into one day form.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense.
It was reported in the media last week Cricket Australia are looking to play the Ryobi Cup in a block of matches at the start of the season to build the sense of an ODI tournament among domestic cricketers a year before the World Cup.
Not a bad idea, but it shouldn’t be at the start of the season.
Internationally, the first half of the summer is dedicated to the Ashes. It’s going to be a tough campaign, with five Tests from November to early January.
But should players be playing themselves into Test form by playing one-day cricket? Or first class games?
International cricket is split into red-ball and white-ball seasons. Test cricket is played first, until the first week of January. Then the white ball takes over.
Wouldn’t it make sense to do the same domestically?
The time we need to be getting players Test-ready is early in the season. To do that, it’s time to get rid of long breaks between first-class games.
The domestic season can start in late September-early October. But when it starts, it should be dedicated to Sheffield Shield cricket.
Play the entire 10 rounds of Shield cricket within the 13 weeks from the start of October to the end of December, or even earlier if grounds are available. First-class players will have ample opportunity to build momentum, and press a case for Test selection.
Then play the Shield final in the first week of January, at the same time as the Sydney Test. Once the Sydney Test is over, the focus switches to the white ball.
The T20 Big Bash League suffered last summer with the early start. Crowds were low in December, but picked up late in the tournament.
During that late December period, what was the focus of the sporting public? Test cricket or T20? Running them at the same time confused everyone.
The BBL cricket is here to stay. It’s breathed life into domestic cricket, and is a new source of TV rights revenue.
But running it in January, after the red-ball season is completed, allows T20 cricket to receive greater attention than when up against the Tests, as happened last summer.
January is the school holidays, when the weather is hot and the days are long. Kids are happy to stay up and catch the cricket action.
The BBL is affordable and family-friendly; so giving it a focus during the school holiday period gives the families greater opportunity to attend.
And the T20 internationals could be held during this time; with in-form players building momentum to press a case for selection during the BBL.
The T20 season would run for about a month, through to early February. By then, the kids are back at school. But there’s more cricket to come.
The remainder of February would be the time for 50-over cricket. This is when the Ryobi Cup is played as a block of matches. And along with the Ryobi Cup, the ODIs.
Again, domestic cricket in line with the internationals allows a pool of players who are in-form and accustomed to playing that form of cricket to be available for selection.
The season would be over at the end of February. The international players would fly out for their overseas tours.
There’s no point in playing Sheffield Shield games in March. No one goes, not many more care. And Test teams for overseas tours are already picked.
In the minds of the Australian public, cricket season is over by March. By then, the football codes are under way; and that’s where the attention is. There’s nothing to be gained by paying expensive stadium rents that time of year.
It’s time to split the domestic season into red-ball and white-ball seasons; in line with international selection.
Splitting the season to keep it together.
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