The domestic Australian summer is a mess for Cricket Australia.
The one-day domestic competition is played half in the school holidays when the national team is preparing for the Test summer. The Big Bash is played primarily during the Test series. While ODIs are generally played as Sheffield Shield cricket comes back into full swing.
Surely with some minor tweaking, this can be done better.
First cab off the rank is the Big Bash competition.
It’s staying where it is; it’s not expanding earlier in December or later into February.
The school holidays, the Christmas shutdown period, the TV ratings and the crowds – everything lines up too well to mess with the premier bill-paying competition of domestic cricket.
Next up is the domestic one-day competition, which currently opens the season.
I would move it to the end of the cricket summer, to be played in February with the final falling in March. This frees up the start of the summer for the Sheffield Shield, which will take place from October to December.
Now I can hear the angry typing of keyboards already, but hear me out.
Playing the Shield competition prior to the Big Bash in its completion means the season has closure, without needing to pause all form and momentum for a T20 game.
A three-month stint of Shield cricket also has the massive benefit of Australian representative players actually having a chance to be involved before their national duties kick in.
The Australian Test team often plays Test cricket in late November to mid-January. Starting the Shield in October gives the Test players four to five rounds of cricket to find some form before they represent the country.
If ODIs are played during this time, it’s no different than the current form, where the team is picked based off of winter form, from overseas tours or county cricket.
Would this diminish the Shield? No, since the competition would be having its crescendo just as the Big Bash bandwagon rolls up. The fans that only jump into cricket for the Big Bash would first be greeted with the Shield final, and that exposure could see new fans subscribe to Shield in future years.
The other side is the one-day competition being at the end of the summer, rather than the start. This is to better reflect the actual international scheduling, as one-day matches and T20 internationals are played at toward the latter part of the summer.
Scheduling domestic one-dayers in February allows players to be in a short form mindset to play either T20Is and ODIs, or Big Bash and domestic one-dayers.
The purists will always say the Shield should be played across the whole summer, and the Big Bash carnival should disappear, but it’s not going to happen.
It’s more likely that the Shield’s small crowds against the huge crowds of the Big Bash will have the opposite effect.
Australian summers are long. Surely there is enough room for everyone to get along and play cricket.
Be it for a few hours, a day, four days or five, there is plenty of sunshine and floodlights to go around.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Brains Trust, although I don't support it, this idea of yours has scope to be a quite decent article on here. You'd need to expand on it; including pointing out in your article why a continuous Shield season is more important than the BBL. I think the main reason the holiday period works so well for the BBL is that late nights for families aren't such a problem compared to February when there's school the next day. You'd need to explain in your article why that isn't a problem. Also in your article, would it be an issue that the AFL will schedule JLT Challenge games at Etihad Stadium and maybe the new Perth Stadium in February. With drop-in pitches, that may not be insurmountable.
mds1970
Roar Guru
For a Sheffield Shield season to be continuous, you need 10 weeks plus the final. You can play Thursday to Sunday every week, with three days for travel, training & recovery between games. If you start in late September, you can get the Shield final in by early-mid December; in time for the start of the Big Bash. It would mean the Matador Cup would have to be played after the Big Bash, in February; instead of October. But I don't see that as a problem. The Junction Oval should be ready by next summer, so Victoria should be OK; even if they're always away in round 1 to not be up against the AFL Grand Final.
BrainsTrust
Guest
The womens BBL would do very well in the holiday period if they had no competition. The most important thing is for the Sheffield Shield to be continous. You could watch the WBBL in prime time in the holiday break and then watch the mens in Feb. The thing that is hard to fathom is why so many have some concern that the BBL wont rate or get attendances in Feb. and for what reason they are so concerned about that happening. BY having the free slot for WBBL , you could televise the whole of the WBBL during the holidays. So whatever you lose on one you gain on the other, potentially you could gain more than you lose.
Brissie Boy
Guest
My ideal Australian summer of cricket: Domestic cricket: Mid September-Mid December: 7 rounds of Shield cricket with state Gives time for a narrative to build, state players to establish claims for Test spots and Aussie players to get back into form before the Tests start: Mid December-Late Jan/Early Feb : Eventual expanded BBL comp featuring two extra teams and rounds. The BBL has been an unrivaled success and deserves to expand. CA must be careful not to kill the golden goose, however. Early February- Early March: Final 3 rounds of Shield cricket + Final Test players need some long-form cricket before heading overseas. Also allows for a more dramatic climax to the comp. The current format is too dragged out and sees the Final being played in mid/late March when the footy codes are starting. Would love it if Nine or the ABC could broadcast the last round and the Final March: Matador Cup. Scrap the CA XI. International cricket: Mid October- Early November: First international side plays tour matches against either state sides or Australia A. One of my major gripes with international cricket at the moment is that, barring the Ashes, away sides never get the chance to acclimatize to conditions against quality opposition. Having one match against a bunch of rookies (the Cricket Australia XI) does not count and with the exception of South Africa, touring teams tend to struggle in the First Test Mid November- Mid January: Test cricket as usual with an extra match in January. Second international side plays tour matches during late Nov/early Dec Mid January- Early February: An ODI series that actually has a meaningful context and T20I's to be scrapped. International Twenty20 cricket has become nothing more than a breeding ground for promising young players. Case in point, the Big Bash XI will take on Sri Lanka in February without any of the Test players, who will be in India. Leave T20 cricket to the franchises with maybe a World Cup every two or three years.
mds1970
Roar Guru
The Big Bash clearly won't be moving. It's up to the other forms to fit in around it. As the article suggests, I would favour moving the Matador Cup to after the Big Bash and playing the full Sheffield Shield season in one block from late September/early October through to the final in mid-December. The early rounds would give state players plenty of red-ball cricket before the first Test, and ample opportunity to press for Test selection. It's a busy schedule - you'd have to have a game every week. How the Matador Cup fits into February I'm not quite sure. In its current form as a one-city tournament in October, interest is minimal. Playing it at the end of the season rather than at the start is worth a try.
Jeff milton
Guest
well the BBL starts on Dec 20, just before 2 back to back tests to finish the summer
Jeff milton
Guest
13 next week and you sound like you are 102
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Firstly, no they aren't. Victoria and Tasmania only have one FC accredited venue each. WA will soon have two. Neither the MCG or Bellerive can be made ready for Shield cricket early enough fir that start. Tasmania's home games would rarely get four days play available until the final couple of rounds. Victoria may get a second venure in the next couple of years, at Juction Oval. Shield games need to be (mostly) played at the big venues so the prospective Test players have played full length games there. I would like to see every state play two games outside the capital cities, but under CA's accreditation requirements that isn't possible in SA,WA,Vic and Tas. (Hosting T20I and ODI games does not necessarily mean a ground is First Class accredited.) The Australian summer is a mess, domestic and international, but the economic power of the BBL being in mid-summer makes it implausible to fix.
Scott Pryde
Expert
So what? Shield games shouldnt be played at big stadiums anyway - other grounds certainly are ready.
Scott Pryde
Expert
The last test finishes about the 8th of January... I would tweak it so the Shield final is played at the back end of December.
Costas
Guest
Also, the MCG, Adelaide Oval, Gabba and SCG aren't ready for cricket early enough
Costas
Guest
You have the Shield finishing in early December. The last Test finishes a month later
Wayne
Roar Guru
Any different from what we do now? Half the test squad plays ODI cricket while Shield is on
Costas
Guest
So you are going to pick players to go on tour in the autumn and winter, who have played no long form cricket in months, and probably on form shown months ago.
sheek
Roar Guru
If we're to believe test cricket is still the ultimate (which i seriously doubt personally is the case) then it must be given the priority slots. I still believe test cricket is the ultimate. But I seriously doubt the sincerity of CA & players when they say the same. This means BBL, even though its the big money puller (for the moment until the fad wears off) must take second preference to test cricket, assuming we're to believe CA & the players. Test cricket needs Sheffield Shield for the players to find & maintain form. Whether or not people like it, test cricket & Sheffield Shield are like two peas in a pod, horse & carriage, love & marriage, etc. You don't prepare for a test by playing BBL. As for one day cricket, it has to fit in somewhere but I don't know exactly where. I'm not averse to playing a limited overs match at the end of a Shield match. This concept did happen long ago & it still has merit. The thing is, CA wants everything but as we learn in life, even the wealthy & influential, we can't have everything our way no matter how hard we try. So prioritising is the key. And it starts by deciding which format is the most important, not necessarily the most lucrative.
sheek
Roar Guru
Not a mess? Seriously?? How old are you - 12???
Wayne
Roar Guru
Thanks for your comment. I believe it is, in pausing one competition to play another and picking ODI squads on either big bash or red ball form
jeff milton
Guest
The domestic Australian summer is a mess for Cricket Australia. - no its not