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Opinion

Australia needs first-class cricket during the Big Bash window

Adam new author
Roar Rookie
21st January, 2021
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Adam new author
Roar Rookie
21st January, 2021
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How many times have we heard this summer that there’s no first-class cricket on from which to judge and select players for Tests?

The Big Bash League has seized the attention of our players, ruining their shot selection and destroying their ability to build an innings, and is generally the root of all our problems in the Test arena.

Does that sound familiar?

I’m a firm believer that there is a lot of truth in that statement, but I also acknowledge that it sweeps aside the benefits of the BBL, and there are many. For one, it’s clearly a commercial success and draws plenty of eyes to the game that might otherwise not watch. Don’t discount the impact of the money that brings into CA’s coffers, which presumably helps with everything from the grassroots through to subsidising the Sheffield Shield and helping finance the massive costs of the Test team.

It also bring exposure to players people would otherwise have never heard of while building certain aspects of a player’s games. After all, without their IPL experience and successes, would players like Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar be able to take apart Australia’s much-vaunted bowling attack? Can we categorically say that the BBL isn’t providing similar experiences to Australia’s young players, albeit though clearly not under the same pressures?

Matthew Wade and D'Arcy Short of the Hurricanes

The BBL is good – for some things (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

So where are we, then?

The past few years have demonstrated that Cricket Australia and their commercial partners simply won’t move the Big Bash, and the obvious victim is the Shield.

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While we can acknowledge the benefits of the BBL, there is no denying that it damages the development of our first-class players. Splitting the season in two and taking time to play hit and giggle – or, in many cases, sit on a bench and watch others do it, not to mention those who don’t get a gig and presumably stare into the emptiness for a few months – stops any momentum a player might have, breaks rhythm and sends the message that those who specialise in first-class cricket aren’t really a priority anymore.

I think there’s a solution – or, rather, I want to suggest an option which Cricket Australia should consider picking up. It seems obvious to me that there needs to be first-class cricket through the Big Bash window, though obviously the Shield cannot run due to player availability.

Based on the 2020-21 player contracts, there are 160 contracted first-class players at the moment split between CA, state and rookie contracts. Sure, there are eight BBL teams, but seeing that their numbers are bolstered by T20 specialists, foreign players and more clubbies than you’d expect, it seems like a few of those 160 players might be sitting around doing not much.

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Again, if you’re a Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Travis Head or Jhye Richardson, would you rather play BBL or continue building a case for your inclusion in the Test squad? And that’s mentioning blokes that at least get to play – just how warm is the seat Kurtis Patterson is occupying over at the Scorchers this season?

CA should give fringe Test players and aspiring red-ball specialists the option of continuing to play red-ball cricket. Get a squad of 25 blokes together and organise a mini-tournament that runs concurrently with the Big Bash. Of course it would be better with three teams rather than two, but let’s start small and see how we go.

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If they like, they can shake the teams up slightly each round so players learn to adapt to changing squads, but however you do it, it will allow for players to find form against a red ball during the Australian summer rather than being dropped from the Test team and trying to find form in the BBL, as we’ve seen with Joe Burns and now Travis Head.

It also gives somewhere for players short on confidence, like Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, to hopefully play a few games and work on their game before inevitably shipping out for the next Test assignment.

Joe Burns of the Heat plays a shot during the Big Bash League

Where would Joe Burns really rather be? (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Of course there are drawbacks. The players will be sacrificing some pay by doing this. Cricket Australia could consider contracting them for the period at the base rate of a BBL contract – around $40,000 – unless they already hold a Cricket Australia contract. This will likely stop some players, particularly those in the later stage of their careers, from taking part, which is a pity. However, if they prioritise earning BBL dollars over their Test aspirations, that’s their choice.

The other obvious concern is the quality of the Big Bash itself. Already starved for big-name domestic players, this would likely take many of the remaining household names out of action as well. I don’t have a suggestion for how to get our international stars playing the BBL short of actually making a schedule that works or moving the BBL window, but I doubt either of those can happen.

One possibility on that front is to shorten the BBL season, play only a few key games – for example, New Year’s Eve in Adelaide and a few other popular fixtures – during the Test series and then fill in January and early February with the rest of the BBL season. At least then fans could have a chance to see Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne in their colour of choice.

However, if we’re potentially taking names out, how about we give the option for them to go back in? To satisfy the BBL and to ensure quality stays high, why not allow another overseas pick per team?

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Regardless, I think Cricket Australia needs to do something to ensure there is constant first-class cricket throughout summer and that our developing and fringe Test players can mount a better case for selection than smacking a few boundaries at Manuka one evening. Given the realities around the BBL, the best way forward is for a series of Cricket Australia XI games organised throughout the BBL window that include any and all players who want to push for Test selection or aspire to eventual Test selection.

After losing to India this summer, Cricket Australia need to do something, and this could just be a step in the right direction. If they’re really serious, they could even repeat the concept – with a bigger pool of available players – during the winter months with games played in Alice Springs, Darwin and other parts of northern Australia.

What have we got to lose by trying? After all, I’m sure Kurtis Patterson would rather be playing at the Alan Border Field or Karen Rolton Oval than warming that seat for the Scorchers.

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