As a fan of cricket and a player, I have fallen in love with all formats of the game.
The patience of Tests, the temperament of an ODI innings and the raw strength, power and innovation of T20. Many of the BBL games I watched this year were very entertaining. Matt Wade and D’Arcy Short were on fire almost every game and the Heat vs Stars game where they chased 158 in ten overs was amazing to watch live.
It’s an exciting program to watch, but how does it affect young talent?
The BBL has changed the way Australian teams are chosen and how young talent can be discovered. Many hope to use the BBL like David Warner did, starting off as a specialist short format player to make a name in all three internationally recognised formats.
In recent times, D’Arcy Short has done just this to leapfrog others into the national T20 and ODI teams. Short has been extremely consistent and entertaining in his last three seasons with the Hurricanes and broke into the national T20 team on the back of some very solid performances.
Since then he has found success in many other forms of cricket including being brought in the 2018 IPL auction, ODI team and a massive knock of 257 in shield cricket. Shane Warne has been a great advocate of his and has promoted the suggestion for him to be playing Test for Australia on TV many times.
For instance, when he said “For me, D’Arcy Short’s the one. If you’re going to change, something, I think D’Arcy Short could be the new David Warner” on FOX Cricket’s Test coverage.
While I love watching D’Arcy bat and I wish him all the best, I don’t think he’s what the Test team needs right now. The Test team has been up and down this summer after losing convincingly to India and not being able to score a hundred to save their lives to scoring four against Sri Lanka.
While it was evident that Sri Lanka were not at their best against us, they are still a competitive Test team only ranked one below Australia.
Although the Test team could still be competitive with the best teams in the world with the help of Steve Smith and Warner, I think Australia won’t peak for another couple of years at least. The young Australians coming through the ranks are very decent with the likes of Will Pucovski and Matt Renshaw.
However, with competitions like the IPL and BBL becoming more popular, some players are having to choose between becoming specialist short format cricketers and Test cricketers.
While I think it’s okay for people to realise that they’re more suited to one format than another that they enjoy one more than the other, they shouldn’t have to make that decision at a young age before they’ve truly experienced all of the options, especially since it limits your options down the track.
This is a threat to the future of Test cricket as many young talents are pursuing careers in T20 cricket. This doesn’t happen very often as almost every cricketer would jump at the chance to play for the Test but when it does happen, Test cricket weakens as an enjoyable format to watch cricket.
Three years ago, this was a problem for the West Indies as many of their Test worthy players instead chose to play T20 cricket. And I don’t think anyone can blame them. There is a lot more money in T20 cricket at the moment, especially if you hop around from one competition to the next.
The attitude of players is shifting and while many see the Test team as the top prize, there are many others who are content to go around playing T20 cricket for a handsome price.
The direct impact competitions like the BBL has on young talent isn’t that bad as it actually promotes cricket to those who aren’t into the length of Test matches. This, in turn, creates more interest in the game which is good for the economic side of the game. However, it certainly impacts the decisions players make about their careers.
There have been instances where the player has benefitted from this, like Nathan Coulter-Nile, where the short format is a way for him to keep playing at the highest level in the wake of his many injuries.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
This may advantage select individuals such as those in the same position as Coulter-Nile, nevertheless, I don’t believe that people should be targeted and forced into one format, especially if they don’t want to.
This has happened to players like Glenn Maxwell, who has been identified as a phenomenal short format player. While most would see this as a good thing, it has just about killed his hopes of playing the Test team, as he hasn’t been able to prove himself in Shield cricket because of his commitments to the T20 and ODI national teams.
I’m sure he would choose to play for Australia in these short format games rather than play shield cricket for Melbourne however, I am also sure that he’d love the opportunity to prove himself to the Australian selectors. Although I am not Maxwell’s biggest fan however I do believe that he has warranted at least an opportunity to prove himself as a player in the Test side. That is an entirely different matter though.
While the short formats themselves are not the problem, the indirect effects of the leagues have to be taken into consideration especially for the development of the youth of cricket.
T20 cricket is very entertaining to watch but Cricket Australia should be wary when promoting it to youngsters. Attitudes towards cricket are changing and if they want Test cricket to survive another generation, they should tread carefully.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
And the T20-centric attitude filters down to junior club cricket as well Watching juniors play nowadays, no one is ever given a chance to build an innings or bowl long spells to best prepare themselves for a higher level of the game. Kids (at least where I coach) usually play watered-down versions of "cricket" where LBWs and stumpings don't count and bowlers can only bowl 4 overs in a row. Even in higher age groups like U17s, batsmen are forced to retire at 50 balls, which inadvertently glorifies the more physically dominant sloggers, and subordinates the more technical, proper batsmen to unspectacular knocks of 20* off 50 every week. So coaches who select rep teams have no choice but to pick the one-dimensional sloggers and short-spell quickies as their strengths are tailored to the 35 over, hit-and-giggle matches they play. In the end, the batsmen and bowlers whose technique and stamina best suits longform cricket slip through the cracks, starving Test cricket of quality players and oversaturating the T20 scene with mediocre ones.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
De Villiers and Watson just 2 high profile players who have left the Test arena for T20. I don't however agree that short format cricket impacts on a players batting ability. Right through school cricket, players learn the game through limited overs. So it is already entrenched in them. They are mostly only introduced to the longer format later on. Well done Hugo on your first article.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
My point is that those four teams are, and have been for a while, the four toughest sides that NZ face. NZ have only won 3 of their past 30 Tests against Aus/SA/Eng/India so performing against those four teams is the benchmark. And those batting records above speak for themselves. That’s not to suggest the NZ batting lineup can’t do well against those sides in the future, rather that they clearly have a lot left to prove against the top teams. Next summer will be a great test for the likes of Nicholls, Latham and Raval to see if they can prosper in Australia.
Targa
Guest
Why not include Pakistan (especially in the UAE)?
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Targa I think NZ are brewing nicely in Tests but in regards to their batting lineup it should be noted that, apart from Williamson who is a superstar, their batsmen are either unproven or fairly unsuccessful against the Big 4 of India/SA/Eng/Aus. These are their Test records against India/SA/Eng/Aus: Latham - 859 runs at 26 Watling - 1,435 runs at 31 Nicholls - 508 runs at 33 De Grandhomme - 207 runs at 34 Taylor - 2,760 runs at 37 Raval - 280 runs at 40
Targa
Guest
Can't agree. NZ and India have the two best test batting lineups in the world and most of their players play a lot of T20 (exceptions include Jeet Raval, Che Pujara and BJ Walking).
Paul
Roar Guru
Thanks for your first article Hugo. You've raised some interesting issues; "This is a threat to the future of Test cricket as many young talents are pursuing careers in T20 cricket". Who exactly were you thinking about when you wrote this line? I can't think of a young Australian who fits that bill, though India in particular have many that will go down the IPL path, only because the competition for Test spots over there, is so high at the moment. The two issues hurting cricket in Australia at present are scheduling and the money being offered by T20 franchises, both here and around the world. In a 6 month window, we try to fit a domestic ODI comp, more than 30 Shield games, well over 50 T20's, plus 5 or 6 Tests and few short game internationals. The result is a mess because some guys will only play some Club cricket and Shield games, while others will only play Club cricket and short form games. That makes overseas T20 franchises very attractive, especially with the money on offer. If CA can come u with a more balanced schedule, I suspect the issue you mentioned will largely go away. In saying that, there will still be specialist players, as Pujara proved for India.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Devils advocate here. One benefit of the shorter formats is that it keeps more players in the game. Here in Oz there is only room for about 100 first class cricketers and only about 1/4 of them will ever be seriously considered for the test team. Not great odds if you're a young player coming up through the ranks in grade cricket. At least with the other 2 formats in the mix there is a better chance of being able to make a living from cricket. I wonder how many players more or less gave up in the past because they realised they were never going to make the top tier in first class cricket.
Ben
Roar Guru
Money and fame. That's all I will say...