Greg Chappell has seen almost everything. He is a respected member of the former Australian captains club but is one of the greatest batsmen Australia has ever produced.
Chappel was also the former talent director of Cricket Australia, and his recent proposal to revamp the Australian summer is reasonably straightforward. It breaks down into roughly four parts.
First, start the Shield season in late August or early September in the Northern Territory or Queensland so the climax of the season is in November or December, and potentially add another team to the competition.
Second, have the one-day competition held either on weekends throughout the season or in its own season in February or March.
Third, the period after the Big Bash League should be reserved for Australia A games against other A sides.
Fourth and finally, implement a draft to better spread the talent around the various states.
His proposal would radically transform the ‘gentleman’s game’ into more of a franchise-based system. Let’s look at each proposal and its pros and cons.
(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Firstly, beginning the Shield season in late August or early September has the advantage of being able to play the entire competition in the front half of the year. It allows for both bowlers and batsmen to build up workloads and set themselves for what would be a very long summer of cricket under Chappell’s plan.
However, playing the Shield that early on would clash with the back end of the AFL and NRL competitions, particularly if one of the Queensland NRL sides is doing well, with people even less likely to go to Shield matches than they are currently. This also creates no incentive for further red-ball cricket after the BBL hiatus and would have the disadvantage of many exceptional state cricketers either playing at a lower level for their clubs or sitting around with little to no cricket.
Secondly, holding the one-day competition on weekends throughout the season would work just fine. It brings in the fans and allows for a more streamlined competition. Holding it in the post-BBL period in February and March has the advantage of giving the competition its own airtime without interruption.
However, the downside to all of this is that if being held on the weekends, the one-day matches could potentially have few to none of the Shield players participating for fear of burnout before the Test summer. If held in February and March, the administrators run the risk of boring cricket fans with more and more and more cricket.
Thirdly, playing more Australia A matches is always a win regardless of when they are played. These days it seems that Australia A is used for Test hopefuls to get into some form before the Tests or for up-and-coming players to get game time at the highest level.
The disadvantage of this is that, were the A series to be held after the BBL as proposed, the temptation would be to play Test players as there really would not be much else for them to participate in. Also, Greg Chappell has not stipulated whom they would play against. Presumably it would be against other A sides, but this is unclear.
Finally, the draft system. On the surface a draft system would create a Marx-like effect of spreading the talent around the states and creating a more robust competition. In reality a draft system simply disadvantages those states that have excellent talent identifiers and robust junior pathways.
Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, arguably the three best sides, have well-developed pathways into their Shield sides. D’Arcy Short, Josh Philippe and Hilton Cartwright cannot even get regular game time for the Western Australian Sheffield Shield side. Likewise, Brendan Doggett and Billy Stanlake have struggled to get consistent game time for Queensland, as have Jack Edwards and Jason Sangha for New South Wales.
Cricketers have for the past 150 years moved from state to state to find their next opportunity. Adam Gilchrist moved from New South Wales to Western Australia, David Hussey from Western Australia to Victoria and Allan Border from New South Wales to Queensland, just to name a few. If cricketers are really serious about getting consistent games, they will move states to make that happen. Nic Maddinson is thriving in Victoria. Peter Siddle had another great season in Tasmania.
Greg Chappell’s wideranging proposals contain the seeds of many good ideas, but the draft system and the proposal to play the entire Shield before the BBL are problematic and ought not to be incorporated. Adopting the best parts of his strategy will help cricket move forward as the sport of choice in the summer.
Rellum
Roar Guru
"Finally he said that no player was ever made “test ready” by playing more first class cricket and that the only way to develop test players is to get them into the test team early to learn there. I’m not so sure I agree with that." I personally think that line of thinking leads to all sorts bizarre and flawed thinking and systems, yes it is a step up and may take some time to get used to but you cannot learn your game there. I am from the Stuey Law school that you need to dominate and/or learn to dominate the level you are at before you get the call up to the next level. The only exception to that is if there few automatic selections and a lack of options for selection. Then you can promote a project player
Micko
Roar Rookie
The problem is two extra Shield sides will cost a fortune...and we know they don't have much time for the Shield as it is!
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Its hard to believe they managed to show even more contempt for the game outside their own league and chosen junior "pathways".
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Yeah, more of those would be good. And in season, provided either there is no Shield or no International clashing. A team games a re good, provided the timing is suited. I think we agree here.
Paul
Roar Guru
I'd play out of Darwin in August and September but after that shift camp to the ACT. Darwin's pretty revolting weatherwise from October
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Not sure.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Are they available before end of footy season?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Although the WACA, Junction Oval, North Sydney Oval and Allan Border Field all get a good run re hosting SS in recent times.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Complete it at another uni?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
He is a respected member of the former Australian captains club but is one of the greatest batsmen Australia has ever produced. ------ Here, I'll fix it up; He is an average/middling, at best, member of the former Australian captains club but is one of the greatest batsmen Australia has ever produced.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Maybe during the right months...October maybe?
Gibbo
Roar Pro
As you say, the function of states is to produced cricketers for Australia. The players really pride themselves on representing their states and they struggle to move states without a solid reason to do so. One of the reasons players move states is because they’re not getting the game time in that state to warrant staying or because a spouse/partner has a job in the other state. I’ll still never be able to figure why Tremain made the move back to NSW last offseason when he never played a match for NSW this Shield season. A draft would involve predominantly younger players rather than the seasoned players who switch clubs. If there were a proposal of how a draft might work that wouldn’t impact States by losing their best up and coming youngsters, I might change my opinion on the matter, but until someone puts forward that proposal, it seems a little silly to me to think that a draft could work.
matth
Roar Guru
The idea is to strengthen over time and concentrate on the NSW 2nd tier where the numbers are high. 8 teams doesn’t seem like a lot - still less than 100 players.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
The problem with an additional 2 sides is finding the talent to fill them. D'Arcy Short, Cartwright and others could help out, but the reality is, a side like South Australia is already struggling to field a first class XI as it is. How would another 2 sides help? That's my only question.
matth
Roar Guru
His additional proposal was to add two additional first class sides, reasoning that six teams is not enough of a talent pool exposed to first class cricket. I don't mind that - a second NSW team would be obvious (even if based in the ACT), not sure how the 2nd additional team works. Finally he said that no player was ever made "test ready" by playing more first class cricket and that the only way to develop test players is to get them into the test team early to learn there. I'm not so sure I agree with that.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I am of the mind that everything Greg Chappell says we should do the opposite. THe following is about CA not the author of this article. Aus A games are only good for acclimatizing to overseas conditions. There is little on the line in regards to winning those games to make any performance worth much. So many carry that A games are the best way to prepare players without even thinking about what those games actually provide. Yes you might be playing a higher standard, might be, but your are not playing in a full competitive situation so those runs or wickets mean little. How many players are on over restrictions or bats retire after a score to give others a go. It is nonsense to put A games above Shield cricket as the way forward and to reduce even further who is playing in the Shield. A draft is the exact opposite of what we need. That diminishes what little effort left that States put into player pathways. We need to go in the opposite direction and remove the States from the National High Performance setup. Remove the KPI's of getting players selected Nationally. The KPI's of States should be winning and that's it. Maybe put in some KPI's about participation. Each State should have their own high performance setup and they should be trying to out do one another. The current Baseball farm system we have currently built doesn't push anywhere near hard enough. We will never have the perfect schedule whilst their are two groups of team that players play for every year. The BBL franchises were a horrible short term idea driven by the marketing department, much like all decisions that happen at CA or the old ACB. We need more one day State games, they should always be played on a Sunday or Friday so there is a constant time TV audiences can get used to. They should go back to playing those games after a Shield game. And if we are worried that there is not enough sports to attract talented kids then bring in a NT and ACT team to the State comps. Even a NQ team would be a decent place to expand to. Darwin would bring in new challenges for spinners and batters. If we are stuck with the BBL then we are going to have to either a knockout cup for State players not playing BBL or then we can go to a Aus A verses Touring A series, but that to me is not ideal and will lead to an international seconds and thirds comps. I think we will see that eventually given how little value certain parts of the game place on FC cricket. Just please don't listen to Greg Chappell on anything but how to bat.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Rellum. But Chappell isn’t Stalin, C.A. has signed of on the stuff. C.A. is a board made of of how many?
Paul
Roar Guru
You appear to think State cricket has the same level of importance as Australian/national cricket. That's certainly not Chappell's thinking, nor is it mine. Amongst a lot of other things, States are paid to help develop cricketers for Australia. What difference does it make if that cricketer ends up playing for another State? It happens now, as you rightly pointed out in your article "Cricketers have for the past 150 years moved from state to state to find their next opportunity. " This is no different in result, only different in concept. I also have no idea how you can say a draft is ridiculous when it doesn't even exist. If the Shield season was scheduled as Chappell suggests ie from August to December, your issues about guys being poached for the IPL wouldn't exist. Normally the IPL is in the time slot it was played this year - April/May - so that can't impact on anything other than tours to Asia.
Paul
Roar Guru
excellent comments, sheek
Paul
Roar Guru
or Darwin :happy: