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.
Tenash
Guest
interesting that u mention the Ind v Aus test series shafted to viewers choice. cause even after being put on the red button, cricket still outrated the other sports on Fox Sports :)
Johnno
Guest
odi 3 game series in early Feb has some appeal I like that.
Johnno
Guest
fun that mds1970, the dead-zone of Feburary for cricket, has been a mini cash cow for the AFL. Your an AFL fan. And the AFL cash in with the NAB cup, a virtual monopoly in feburary. No cricket, tennis all done, no NRL. The ODI's have been on sometimes in feburary but that has faded from the mainstream aussy sports fans ODI cricket. The masses, only the dedicated fan watches ODI's now in OZ. England series was invisible , last years ODI sri lanka and west indies series the same. T20 for Janurary is a natural fit. Like the tennis it's more festive style, than red-ball gritty test cricket.
Don Corleone
Guest
I can see the one-day domestic tournament in October as being a really good curtain-raiser event which may reignite interest in state cricket and the format in general. Currently, cricket doesn't burst out of the blocks after the football season. In October, cricket wakes from it's slumber with a smattering of domestic games which no-one is interested in...then finally in mid-November the first tests starts. Vital time to engage with sport is completely lost. Without having to play the 50-over games between Shield games, as is the case now...the first half of the first-class season can see 5 games played back-to-back in late-October, November and December concurrently with the tests and providing state players a concentration of red ball cricket and the ability to stake a claim for a test spot. I think BBL should commence post-Christmas and believe that if a state player hasn't pushed for selection by then for the Fifth test...they never will. BBL form will contribute to a T20I 3-game series in late-January. ODI 3-game series in early-Feb.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Johnno, you've touched on an issue for cricket. While there's plenty of interest, particularly during the November-January period, once February comes around cricket disappears from the headlines and attention switches to the AFL & NRL. That period in February-March, while it's still officially cricket season, the care factor is low. We saw that on Fox Sports this year when the Australia v India Test cricket was bumped to viewers' choice in favour of NRL trials. My structure has all red-ball cricket done and dusted by the first week of January; with the remainder of January dedicated to T20. Some interest in cricket in February can be maintained by having the ODI series in that month, with the Ryobi Cup also held then to maintain a pool of in-form one-day players.
mds1970
Roar Guru
There's always trade-offs, swings and roundabouts. The incumbent Test players, when teams are selected, haven't played any first class cricket since the SCG Test. So challengers for selection would be in the same position as those who are already in the Test team.
Johnno
Guest
To be honest cricket season is over by 1st of Feburauy in the average aussy cricket fan, and sports fan. In the old school days, it was always that 1st week of Feburary when the last test, or ODI match would be played Feb 1,2.3. And Feburary was this nothing time of shield cricket or Mercantile Mutual cricket, and a bit of nothing a break from sport before March footy. Either way you go Feburary is a Dead-Zone for cricket in OZ. It's now been firmly changed in the culture in OZ, that Test cricket is don and dusted by 1st week of Janurary. The thought of Test cricket in mid Janurary or end of Feburary is boring and weird , in todays time. The Adealide Australia day test was good, but i always felt flat by the last test in Perth, very end of Jan-early Feb that match would end.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
In some ways this makes sense. The main issue I see arising is that international cricket is played out of season as well. If a Test tour happens in March or April, this could mean sending players without any first class cricket for 2-3 months when under current scheduling the Shield is still running in March. We really need the Shield to run into and during the home Test summer, but also need it in late summer for the next away series.