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Opinion
The Australian cricket schedule is in shambles.
We have a massive, useless pause with the Sheffield Shield during the BBL and the Test series. Cricket Australia should be ashamed of themselves. How can they select a team when they don’t see the players during the off-season?
We can’t have the players playing in state-level cricket, not ready to play in the big leagues. We need players who are playing in state-level cricket, to prepare them to play for Australia in the format they are about to play in.
What they need to do is have the state players play for the format of cricket that is coming up. When we watch Test cricket then the Big Bash League, it’s like eating at a fine dining restaurant, then going to Macca’s for dessert. They need to get their act together and start making decisions based on common sense rather than money.
Cricket Australia have got no clue when it comes to scheduling. Why would it have the Big Bash while the Tests are being played? Why would they play the Sheffield Shield after the Test matches? Why would they have a pause in the Sheffield Shield? How would they find in-form players for the Test matches if injuries happen? And how will out-of-form players get back into form if they have to play more Test matches?
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
So, what are they doing wrong?
Everything.
How can they fix it?
Have international players available for the BBL, and get players ready for the format they are about to play.
Here is how I would change the schedule. Note, this is in a non-COVID world with no bubbles or restrictions.
September–October
Play the domestic one-day competition leading into a five-match one-day international series in late October and early November, so the selectors can pick a side based on form and performance.
November–December
Play the Sheffield Shield and the five Test matches at the same time, ending on the usual January 7 date with the Pink Test. With the Sheffield Shield and Test matches playing at the same time, we can get in-form players to replace out-of-form players. We can also get out-of-form players back into form by playing first-class cricket. They would play the classical Boxing Bay Test match and the Pink Test on December 26-30 and January 3-7 respectively.
January–February
This is when the Big Bash League is played. They can have the international players playing for their BBL franchise and the players who came from overseas can play in the BBL as well. They will play the BBL for six weeks and then three or five games of a T20 international series after the Big Bash. This is to allow selectors the best chance of picking a side based on form.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
You may be thinking to yourself, what about the international series? The answer to that is they will be played before and after the summer. Games in the northern hemisphere will happen during the normal time.
The one-day domestic competition will last for four weeks with the ODI series going for two weeks giving the players plenty of rest and time to perfect their craft.
The Sheffield Shield will start right after the first ODI game, allowing the younger players to shine for selection and the international ODI players can come back and play to get used to playing longer formats and get some confidence before a Test match series.
The reason to have the Sheffield Shield overlapping with the Test series is that it helps young talent play and shine for the Australian selectors and it allows out-of-form players to play to try and get back into form.
As the Test matches finish, the BBL will start and the international players can play for their respective franchises.
The BBL with go for five or six weeks then the three-match T20 series to be played in February. The players get used to it for when they play in three-to-five-match series for their respective formats.
This scheduling is way better than the schedule Cricket Australia makes every year. We have players getting ready for the international summer instead of players playing random games leading up to nothing.
How much better is it when the selectors can pick the Australian side when they can see the players playing at the state level. The selectors can choose whether they will pick the players on reputation or form.
Another thing that will happen is that there will be more pressure on the players, which means that they will try to shine and put their name down for selection in their format of choice.
If Cricket Australia think about changing their schedule to this, it will make the summer better for selectors, players and spectators.
So, Cricket Australia, if this has not convinced you, I don’t know what will.
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