Am I the only one snoozing my way through the bright lights and glamour of the Big Bash League?
I wasn’t sure if this was caused from hangover induced by watching a thrilling whitewash and dismantling of English cricket.
Also not sure if it were due to my faith in the Twenty20 game not yet at believer stage.
Today however I pin-pointed the definitive reason why I can’t get excited by Big Bash Cricket.
And it’s so simple it is right in front of me.
So obvious that the Big Bash needs renaming in my eyes to the Cosmo Cricket Cup.
I am from Sydney and personally I can not get excited about the Sixers. Nor do I think anyone apart from enthusiasts of World’s Worst Drivers gets excited about the Thunder.
Yes this is cosmopolitan cricket and it was designed to bring the sport to new markets with the introduction of teams in Newcastle, Gold Coast, Darwin and Canberra.
Ironic it seems that we are no closer to expanding into new markets but continue to hit the metropolitan areas of the state capitals. If anything, hasn’t moving away from state sides to city based franchises further distanced the sport from regional markets?
Do Newcastle people vicariously watch the Thunder or support the upper echelons of the Sixes?
At least as NSW, they like all other regional centres in the state had a team they could identify with. Return to the state brand and I will be back too (with a few other minor alterations suggested) supporting domestic T20.
Cosmopolitan, not definitively.
The Cosmo Cricket Cup does not stand for Cosmopolitan however. In it’s present state, the Big Bash is the Cosmetic Cricket Cup. A list of eight soulless franchises pepped up in new pastels with flashing wickets under bright lights.
Teams comprising of nothing for locals to identify with other than a city name. A plastic entity that could be so much better if the powers that be stuck with the existing brand identity of state clubs.
A league of fixtures that will all be forgotten by Round 2 of our preferred footy season.
These are not clubs, they are non historical corporate franchises that make me feel like I am watching Pizza Hut v Dominoes and McDonalds v Hungry Jacks while KFC top the table and Red Rooster are the cellar dwellars.
Not that I am watching.
Am I the only one snoozing? If so, please let me know and I will take my lonely backside to the SCG for the Sheffield Shield and sit with the other old timers that haven’t evolved.
Wake me up when we go back to the future, or something like that….
David
Guest
I'm a Shield cricket purists but I've found it very easy to support the Scorchers. Mainly because with the Marsh brothers, Voges, Hoggy, Whiteman etc it's basically the Warriors plus 1-2 overseas players. If like the eastern states sides we had a mongrel team of players from all over the country I'd find it a lot harder to support them.
Sports Prophet
Roar Pro
There is more to clubs than the players that represent them. In all sports players change their loyalties predominantly to enhance their career and bank balance. I don't take issue with that at all. NSW however are my state club and represent me and cricket within the state. Unfortunately I can't think of one way how the Sixers represent me and my personal cricketing loyalties. One day I hope....
Sports Prophet
Roar Pro
Hi Ben, I understand people appreciating BBL as an opportunity to watch more cricket. Unfortunately I need just a bit more. I need to understand what the teams represent. I need to know which team is my hero, which one is the villain. I don't have an issue with the format. I just don't have any connection with the teams that play it. Until I do, it will be tough work to get me into it.
Sports Prophet
Roar Pro
I would love to support it, and I dont really despise the format. What isnt offered to me by the BBL is a club I can identify with. For that reason, I cant get excited about the matches. Apart from the fact they have Sydney in their name and play at the SCG, in what way do the Sixers represent me?
Greg
Guest
Been to Etihad 3 times already to see the Renegades and the young fella has bought a Renegades jumper. $50 bucks for 2 adults and 2 kids in great seats is INSANE value and something other sports could learn from (cough cough NRL/Rugby) Tens coverage has been superb too. The right guest commentators at the right time being asked the right questions by Punter and Gilly. The Darren Lehmann piece tonight was excellent. Big thumbs up, fills my summer nights up perfectly and goes with BBQs and beer. Happy a lot of people are getting in to it too. 43k at Etihad on Sat was huge and the only reason it wasnt close to sell out is thanks to the empty Medallion Club seats that they should have sold off too.... Go Renegades!
ChrisB
Guest
Where did the shield go? I didn't know it had been scrapped?
ChrisB
Guest
Ditto. Can remember my dad and his mates whinging about how ODIs were killing skills When you see some of the scoring rates in the 50s and 60s, some of these "skills" were worth losing, at least from an entertainment perspective.
ChrisB
Guest
Or maybe it's partly for kids who naturally have short attention spans, you smug git
ChrisB
Guest
What on earth are you talking about in this stream of consciousness blather?
ChrisB
Guest
They can't resist showing everyone their obvious superiority in taste by revealing their dislike of it.
ChrisB
Guest
Firstly, given the desire to attract kids and families I can't see what choice these evil administrators had but to run it over the holiday season. The tests still continue on, no one watched first class anyway, so while its not ideal what choice did they have? What would your alternative scheduling be?
ChrisB
Guest
But isn't the effect the same for all countries players? So what difference? A decline in traditional skills is hardly going to be unique to Australia Personally, when people complain about bats men's poor concentration these days, I was getting sick of massive scores on lifeless pictures like we had a few years back anyway.
GD66
Guest
The comment about state loyalties may have been relevant 15 years ago, but for years WA has been a haven for cast-off Qld bowlers : Gilchrist went from NSW to WA to get a keeping gig, Watson has played for three states, Katich migrated to NSW, Mitch Johnson to WA, Cosgrove, Silk and co are Tassie immigrants...hell, even Alan Border moved from NSW to Queensland, and Greg Chappell likewise from SA. If a lack of hometown loyalty is your sole reason for dumping on T20, then to me it seems a little petty... But again, turn away and get stuck into those beautiful summer evenings if it doesn't float your boat.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
I don't like cricket..oh no...I love it!
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Thunder - Sydney's west > Sixers > Sydney's East. Melbourne Stars are I believe, correct me if I am wrong someone please, Melbourne's East and Renegades Melbourne's West. While it doesn't make sense between who is for who ultimately does it matter what team you go for? Players are not aligned to home state why should you? It is simply easiest to watch games and go to games of the teams in your own state.
Praveen
Guest
I love the big bash, games are exciting and entertaining and seriously high quality, my thunders not going well but games have been of high quality
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Its not cheaper by any margin - $42.50 tickets for Sixers and Thunder as opposed to about $20 per person for movies (. However that is only tickets too, neither include food costs), T20 cricket has lots of good cricketers playing - Mike Hussey, Hodge, Kattich, Hogg, (had) Warne and other experienced players to play against. Don't tell me T20 doesn't prepare you for cricket as a whole, because it bloody well does. Cricketers understand difference between formats too. While he didn't play brilliantly, Michael Carberry certainly had a diff mindset in tests than what he had gotten in on, his ODI form. He played differently because he knew he needed to.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
+ 1. Another good thing about BBL is you get to see more players playing than say, county cricket would allow that is not televised. Twenty20 cricket is also useful for allowing people to be able to watch a game and relax for a few hours while ODIs and test are harder for some people to watch.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Thankyou. I love CRICKET, don't simply limit myself to test. I get more enjoyment out of test cricket sure because its a battle of attrition and waking up every day for five days and wondering what will happen next? BBL specifically is actually designed to try and get non-cricket people into cricket and then evolve their love of cricket. One thing which is also good I believe Ponting or Gilchrist said was that it is good to get cricket in short bursts for those recovering from injury. Specifically mentioning Jackson Bird who has been bowling at the wicket getting bowled and snick chances not getting catches.
Allan
Guest
Considering I am in Western Sydney it shows they got the name wrong at the very least.