Timing is everything in cricket and the big wigs at Cricket Australia have displayed that theirs is no better than their stuttering top order.
As if to try and deflect from the current ineptitude of our Test team, CA decided to come out all guns blazing and announce to the cricket world in the wake of a massive loss at Lord’s that never fear, this season’s third edition of the Big Bash League will be bigger and better!
Surprisingly, the announcement of an extended Big Bash League tournament has met with an array of attacking strokes from cricket fans, media and former players.
One only just former player, Ricky Ponting has aired his views in his Daily Mail column in England, saying that “we must remember that the strength of this business will be measured by the success of the national team”.
The use of the word ‘business’ is an interesting one.
While many of us play a game of cricket on weekends, like all sports, at the pointy end nowadays it is not a game but a business, as Ponting has alluded.
And therein lays a conundrum for CA.
Let’s for a moment forget that the product is cricket and assume it is some other commodity.
In business there are two fairly common tenets – provide something the client wants and in return, by doing so, you reap a financial benefit.
As far as CA is concerned there is no arguing that the Big Bash League is providing both.
And when it comes to the former – providing something the client wants – the numerical data is unimpeachable.
Yes, this summer – despite the Test team’s parlous form – Ashes tickets will go fast.
In fact, they already have when you look at the latest update on CA’s website.
But, the following summer will see just four Tests played against India.
The back-half of the summer will be taken up by the 50-over World Cup, a form of the game that many fans see as being on life support.
Then in the 2015-16 season it is twin Test series against New Zealand and West Indies which will play to less than half-filled stadia for the bulk of those matches.
Ashes summers are CA’s cash cows.
India, in recent times, has become their next best money-spinner although there is no escaping the Sachin Tendulkar factor which we will never experience again.
As for the remainder of the Test series that are played here, none really have the turnstiles ticking over at any great pace.
As a purely money making exercise – Network Ten has recently massively upped the TV worth – and as a bums on seats exercise, the Big Bash League has done exactly what CA wanted.
There is no mistaking that Twenty20 cricket has introduced a vast new audience to the sport.
Traditionalists can vent their spleen all they like but that is a fact.
So, in a business sense, CA has achieved the basics that many companies strive for – a broader clientele and increased revenue stream.
And as much as myself, and dare I say it, the vast majority of Roar readers pay little credence to the Big Bash League a helluva lot of fans do – they turn up in droves and TV networks are willing to pay increasingly big bucks for the right to air it.
We traditionalists can dislike, even loathe it, as much as we want, but from a business model point of view it is successful and will not be disappearing anytime soon.
However, like any business, can it be done in an even better sense so that all the clientele across the sport’s spectrum can feel a greater sense of satisfaction?
It does not take an overly-educated cricket brain to deduce the major problem with the current Test squad.
If you can read a scorecard it jumps off the page at you – our batsmen cannot make runs.
‘It’s that bloody Twenty20 rubbish that is to blame!’ I see you say in chorus.
Has it not caused the basic batting principles required for Test cricket to become a thing of the past with ingredients such as patience, building an innings, a technique based firstly around defence and the ability to judiciously accumulate runs rather than smack the ball having all gone out the window?
Really?
If that’s the case, and given other countries also have substantial commitments to Twenty20 cricket how come our batting stocks are going south quicker than others?
How come India, the hotbed of Twenty20 cricket worldwide, thumped us to the tune of a historic 4-0 whitewash in March?
Two recent Australian nemeses – Joe Root and Faf du Plessis – seemed to be able to cope OK with being raised in the Twenty20 era.
Currently, right smack bang in the middle of an Ashes series, England counties are playing their annual Friends Life T20 series – yes OK, it’s not quite as sexy sounding as the Big Bash League.
The England Twenty20 tournament started on 26 June with the final on 17 August with a total of 97 games scheduled.
During the duration of the Twenty20 series the first-class cricket fixtures are reduced but not greatly.
In Australia they are put on long-service leave.
When the Big Bash League starts, domestic first-class cricket is locked in the closet and the door is barricaded.
This summer, the Big Bash League is slated to run from 20 December to 15 February, which will see a hiatus in red ball cricket at domestic first-class level for virtually the entirety.
The first Test against South Africa – the world number one – at Centurion begins on 12 February.
Good luck being a selector for you are picking players from outside the Test team to make up the touring party from a group of players who have not been in creams for the preceding two months!
Pretty hard to get a form line wouldn’t you think?
For mine, that is one of the major concerns about a two-month block of Big Bash League.
There must be a better way of fixturing the summer and I believe there is, but given the recently signed TV rights deal with Network Ten that runs for the next five years, not much can change immediately.
But here is an idea.
I can remember broadcasting for the ABC the first domestic Twenty20 match played at the WACA Ground on 12 January 2005.
That night the largest crowd seen at the ground for quite some time numbered 20,700.
There were no flashy imports, just home grown players representing their first-class states.
The fans were not turning out to watch the likes of Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi or Herschelle Gibbs.
Do we need the internationals to maintain an audience or will fans still be content with watching local talent lather the ball around the park?
If you do not conscript international players to the Big Bash League there is no need to run the tournament in one continuous block.
It can be played in segments throughout the season which would also allow for a greater probability that our Test players would be more readily available.
And, importantly, allow for a greater continuity of white-ball cricket.
Players could still be contracted to franchises as they are now – it would be no different to State of Origin in the NRL where one week you are playing with someone and the next week against.
The current eight-plus week hiatus in first-class domestic fixtures is not good for the development of the sport.
But it is not only one issue that has led to Australia’s decline at Test level with the likes of grade cricket standards and the love affair with ‘development pathways’ through elite squads that has such an effect on it also central to our national drop in standard.
By purely putting the dollar first CA has in a large way further marginalised Test and first-class cricket.
It should not have, as there were alternatives, but for the next five years it is something it has to manage.
And let’s hope that in the meantime the standard of our Test squad does not descend any lower.
Otherwise, the Big Bash League will grow at the expense of the sport’s marquee event – Test cricket.
Johnny Ball
Guest
I still say that we do not have a cohesive team structure in place. We have possibly the worst captain using the most devisive tactics to promote his cadre of "yes" men and sometimes this means picking second best like Warner and Haddin and isolating Watson. When the team fails it is' you' and not' we' to blame. Clarke is a flyweight when it comes to melding a team structure[take Hussey and Katich for instance] and constantly fails to protect his men in the media as did Ian Chappell for instance.
Adsy78
Guest
Well said Dennis and perfectly illustrates where we appear to be falling short. Our bowlers must have a total to defend and batsmen must value their wicket and contribute with partnerships. Change your approach to how the game is shaping. Work yourself into an innings and don't allow opposition bowlers to dictate by turning over the strike. it also prevents pressure being applied to your batting partner. Respect a good ball or good over, geez - even a good spell. But with a mentality of not being bogged-down, and valuing your wicket pressure can work both ways and start to be applied to a bowling side who become loose or lethargic. The approach of winning of your own bat with a flurry of slogs is fine - but wait until your are in and settled and know both the conditions and bowler. And that your batting partner is also in and playing with confidence.
Andrew
Guest
Well done Adsy. Nice comments. Yes, I would love to hear a lot more comments from blokes like Rod Marsh as he is someone who has credibility. What does he think about the current and future development of Australian cricket? I think privately a lot of former players are aghast as the state that the Sheffield Shield is in. But their hands are tied by Cricket Australia who don’t want anyone to say anything bad about their so-called cash cow, the Big Bash which is killing off all our talent. As you say, Cricket Australia’s lax attitude to Australian cricket has set us back 20 years against the English, South Africans and Indians. We need someone to lead us out of the wilderness.
Adsy78
Guest
Andrew you make some great observations and highlight that more needs to be done to both cultivate and build on emerging talent. We unfortunately cannot compare to the most recent decade or period where cricket dominated Summer sport. Cricket is now competing for young talent with so many emerging sports. I think that is why the centre of excellence was created to identify and try to hone the skills of youngsters who show promise. however the best person to query on where it is currently at is Rod Marsh. He oversaw so many talented young players that DID turn out for the National side in the ensuing years. Your points on the Sheffield Shield do unfortunately ring true - More needs to be done to re-energise this is a stepping-stone to playing for your country. And this is where I feel CA and Sutherland need to step-up and show leadership and direction. It's what the fans are crying out for.
Adsy78
Guest
Andrew - I for one do not watch 20/20 cricket or the Big Bash. For me it is the old hitty shut eye approach. Yeah it's fun, but it's like asking Mum to come out for a hit in the backyard and saying you will only bowl left-handed. It's just for entertainment and a slog-fest. I don't feel CA has an obsession with Big Bash. They agreed to a TV rights deal which means that cricket is heavily advertised around 20/20 as sponsors and Broadcasters want a return on their investment. In terms of your other comments: We were good in patches in the first test and some individual performances almost won us the test. in the end we were beaten by a better performing team. We played poorly in lords and were outplayed by a better team. take stock and be determined to be better. In Manchester we played well. Again some indivuals shone while others are showing signs of either mentail frailties [patience, grit, determination] or some technique issues such as Watson falling across hit stumps. However to claim the Ashes is lost for 20yrs and that we are doomed appears to be borrowing from C3PO from Star Wars a little 'we're all doomed', and he was a bit of a worry-wart and it all turned-out okay for them...
Andrew
Guest
But Adsy. It seems that there are no batting stocks coming through whatsoever. Cricket Australia have a centre of excellence?!!? Just exactly what is it for!! To produce mediocre crickets. Lol. The biggest examples of what is wrong with Australian cricket are Aaron Finch and Luke Pomersbach. These are two of the biggest talents in Australian cricket but they have been destroyed by Big Bash and can't even get into their state teams because of the whole idea of building an innings. The obsession Cricket Australia has with Big Bash is just totally WRONG> How can they stop playing Shield cricket in the middle of the year. Phil Hughes, in again, out again, and I bet he goes back and makes runs at Shield level because our bowlers at that level are all terrible. In fact, the Shield has not been a lower standard for 30 years. Hence our Test team is in the same shape. The quality of the Sheffield Shied reflects on our Test team. As I said James Sutherland is only worried about money. Not about performance. He is counting the Big Bash riches, while Australian cricket is at its lowest ebb in 30 years. It is all very sad.
Adsy78
Guest
Great article Glen and at its most basic, it raises approriate discussion on where we are at as a Cricketing nation. There are a number of valid arguements surrounding the perceived TV audience available for Test cricket, althouth some comments suggesting that test cricket has been destroyed or killed by 20/20 is both short-sighted and off-the-mark. We need to be honest [audiences, administrators, sponsors] that in recent times our teams lack of consistency and ability to adjust to negative results in addition to being beaten by better performing sides has placed our players, selections and performances under the mircoscope. It does not mean we are terrible, it means we need to be better. For example, in this series Anderson has bowled with career best form. We were not patient enough with him. The result of the Test did not hinge on the next shot, the next over - it depended on valuing your wicket, turning over the strike and forming partnerships. The issue of fast scoring could be attributed to the shorter versions of the game however also lacking was judgement/experience [knowing when to put the foot down] and appropriate attitude to conditions [see off Anderson if he is zipping it around like it is on a string]; The most obvious of missing aspects was a lack of patience, a lack of grit [as someone else also remarked] and grinding out an innings. Root did this in Lords as did Pietersen in the 1st innings in Manchester. We lacked this judgement and it has come through to hurt us. England score slowly - all ratios attest to this however they make partnerships count and value their wicket. Are we that bad though? Well we were beaten in India due to inability to approach conditions and balls on their merit - it's not about who is paid more to turn out for a 20/20 franchise - it is mentality and a commitment to succeed. Just ask Matt Hayden who struggled early on, went away and obtained confidence and experience and came back with a solid technique and ability to both respect the good ball and punish the bad. So for newcomers - Slow down, forge out an innings, respect the good ball and Australian Test cricket will benefit.
Andrew
Guest
Cricket Australia’s obsession with 20/20 cricket in this country has killed our Test team. Australia will not win the Ashes back for at least another 20 years. James Sutherland should be sacked immediately as his priorities are all wrong. To the people of England, don’t let the cancer of 20/20 cricket dominate your domestic season. It kills off all the batsman’s techniques and concentration. Australian cricket is unfortunately doomed.
Glenn Innis
Guest
Bobbo7 - You are joking are you not, test cricket even in the sixties in India couldn't draw crowds.The world record attendance for a Test match is 394,000 1982 England vs India at Eden Gardens in what used to be called Calcutta.I doubt they would get within a bulls roar of that these days, and I think there is more to it than TV.
art pagonis
Guest
Cricket has 3 forms of the game. You only make the Australian team as a batter if you can bat....PERIOD. So, what England have done is train and perfect a batting system for all their batters in the 3 forms of the game. About 12-15 players only. They are taught Defensive Batting, Offensive Batting, Running between wickets, Shotmaking, Hitting over the TOP, and various other skills including the rules of the game (DRS etc). When they come thru this school of cricket, they are complete batsmen, able to bat in the 3 forms of the game. They do a similar plan for all their bowlers and fieldsmen and wicketkeepers. SO MUST WE!
Dennis Brennan
Guest
Australia changed test cricket 20 years ago with aggressive batting. It started with Slater, then Hayden, Ponting, Gilly etc. Hussey was the master playing as the conditions dictated in all formats. Even the "grafter" Langer could up the ante and finished his career with a respectable strike rate. If one batsman failed another would stand up. Australia batted as a team. Australia no longer have the batsmen to take away the game in a session CONSISTENTLY let alone a team of them. The issue is not technique from 20/20. The issue is the mindset of the current top six. Australia's aggressive attitude to batting needs to change. As an absolute minimum Australia need to MAKE the opposition bowl them out!
cotts
Guest
Many years ago I would sit at the SCG and watch the Saturday Rugby League 'Match of the Day'. It was generally memorable for the fact that often the crowd consisted of myself, Harry the Hermit on the Hill and the guy who rang the half-time bell. Media/marketing types would report in the following day's tabloids 'an enthusiastic crowd in excess of 8,000'. For whatever reasons, the NSWRL wanted the Saturday Match of the Day to continue, despite the fact that neither team's supporters were prepared to trek out to Moore Park to watch. While I'm not suggesting CA can't count, reports of the IPL seem to suggest that Harry is becoming more visible there as time goes on.
Brendon
Guest
No no no no no no. And no. T20 is not the problem and is just a convenient excuse for the "in my day" crowd who don't like the format. If T20 destroys our youth then every country would be suffering. England are better than us at T20 AND test cricket. Its not T20 but the extra format that is hurting the domestic game. From 1989-2007 when Australia was a top team the Sheffield Shield was easily the best quality domestic first class competition. Test players also played more games for their state side increasing the quality of the comp. With the extra format top players play even less Sheffield Shield matches. Young, talented players in the Sheffield Shield are not exposed to world class players often before they make their international debuts. T20 has increased the gulf between our domestic first class competition and international level. Look at Ponting this past summer. Failed against South Africa, retires and then slaughters the Sheffield Shield bowlers for Tasmania. Not only did our test players play more Sheffield Shield games which exposed young players to top class opposition but we chased out a lot of older players to make way young players but ended up degrading the quality of the Sheffield Shield.
Bobbo7
Guest
Agreed. I was reading recently the that the game in general is still doing very well. It has survived scandles, corruption and wars. Fundamentally it is a great game and Australia is struggling for a while won't affect it.
vocans
Guest
It may be that Old Father Time is calling stumps from the roof of the Lords pavilion. Those good enough to play 5 days may no longer be interested, and you have to be good enough to play 5 days. The 1st test still delivered the goods that only test cricket can, but that kind of wine may be seeing increasingly fewer vintages. If so, something wonderful is leaving the world. I am not convinced that something as good or better is taking its place. In fact, I know it isn't. Perhaps Cricket worthy of the name ends with a bash and a whimper. Don't forget from which County the Root arises!
Bobbo7
Guest
Test cricket is still popular. The only thing is thy the TV coverage is so good and the games and food are so expensive that people prefer to watch it at home. I also saw something on TV a while ago where someone was saying that tests in India were often not that well attended even in th 60s. I think Test cricket is quite strong, but not in relation to game day crowds. It is simply much better on TV. And T20 is not to blame. All teams play it and not all are in a heap like Australia. I would suggest Australia just has average players right now. Clarke can make 300+ but he has not performed so far. Watson obviously can't concentrate long enough, Rogers needs more game time and Hughes and Smith are average with little technique. Bailey has shown some metal. Put him in. Katich should be there but then who needs proven quality openers with great averages? And what ever happened to Ferguson ? He did well in ODIs a while ago, got injured and never came back. He looked steady and might have been worth a thought. Haddin is still a rubbish keeper who does not apply his batting talent. Wade should be the first choice. He is a more consistent bat and the keeping will improve. He is no worse than Haddin and much younger. But can't blame T20. Some poor selection and the players just are not there. NZs domestic competition is average and NZ plays t20 but I would say they are better than Australia at the moment.
Tenash
Guest
keep dreaming cricket will never die.
Tenash
Guest
if t20 cricket is entertainment then so are all other sports (barring test cricket) !!
AVictory
Guest
The Big Bash is sports corporatism at it's worst. It's fake, plastic and it's only in it for the money. It will be exploited as much as possible for the sake of a quick buck, if this is the future of cricket, then cricket is going to die very fast.
Harry of Floreat
Guest
+1