Big Bash Will Run 20 December - 15 February

[Natho]

A few weeks of the big bash is fine by me. But gee we need to develop our cricketers for test cricket. Its beyond a joke our test side.

 

[Harmichael]

The only reason they have it all in one block is so they can get the foreign stars to come out for it, because they know no-one would care if they weren't there.

 

[IanG]

I am sick and tired of reading drivel that the T20 BBL has compromised our test side. Yet in the same breathe, people call for the return of David Warner - the archetypical T20 player of the modern era. Anyone notice the irony here?

Well I for one am not calling for the return of Warner, I actually don't mind T20 itself but the BBL scheduling is all wrong and we've already seen it compromise the form of players last year. Its already been said that other countries, even India, don't compromise their domestic long form competition for the T20 comp, Australia is the only one.

 

[King Elvis]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/content/current/story/654537.html

Out: Sutherland
In : Ponting

 

[bungwahl]

Well I for one am not calling for the return of Warner, I actually don't mind T20 itself but the BBL scheduling is all wrong and we've already seen it compromise the form of players last year. Its already been said that other countries, even India, don't compromise their domestic long form competition for the T20 comp, Australia is the only one.

Sorry mate, but that's just blatantly incorrect. England have a dedicated T20 window and cease all County Championship games during that period.

 

[The Passenger]

Sorry mate, but that's just blatantly incorrect. England have a dedicated T20 window and cease all County Championship games during that period.

not blatantly incorrect.

they do cut down on CC games through july and there are none between june 25 and july 8, and also july 20 and august 2. almost all counties will play two first class games between july 8 and july 20. the T20 games run alongside them for instance Middlesex played a T20 on July 7, a CC game from July 8-11, a T20 game on July 12, 14 and 16 and a county game from July 17-20

 

[bungwahl]

not blatantly incorrect.

they do cut down on CC games through july and there are none between june 25 and july 8, and also july 20 and august 2. almost all counties will play two first class games between july 8 and july 20. the T20 games run alongside them for instance Middlesex played a T20 on July 7, a CC game from July 8-11, a T20 game on July 12, 14 and 16 and a county game from July 17-20

It's blatantly incorrect that Australia are the only country to compromise their domestic FC competition, as is demonstrated by the dates in your response.

It appears England actually do it worse than Australia as they attempt to cram two first class games in to a 10 day gap in the T20 window. Look at Kent as an example - they play 8 days of first class cricket in 9 days between July 10 - 18, smack in the middle of the T20 comp.

I'd love to see the BB moved to the start or end of the domestic season, but having a first class break over the Christmas period is nothing new.

 

[The Passenger]

It's blatantly incorrect that Australia are the only country to compromise their domestic FC competition, as is demonstrated by the dates in your response.

it's not nearly as compromised as our FC season. we don't play FC cricket for ~7 weeks. Directly leading into a tour of the best test nation on earth. India's FC season has always been finished in March, they are now merely pushing everything forward a couple of wickets to start the IPL off.

The english workload of consecutive FC games around T20 is not ideal I agree, but a high quantity of games is nothing new in English cricket. It's been like that for a long long long time. With 18 teams their domestic schedule has always been jam packed, and it's probably the reason why a lot of county matches are played at a rather lethargic intensity.

No problem playing the BBL over the christmas school holiday period to get the kids in, but there is a better way then to just stop playing FC cricket for 7 weeks. There is no reason why we can't cut down on the BBL game in late January, and get 2 rounds of shield cricket in leading into the South African tour.

When I thought before of playing the BBL across the whole summer I must admit I didn't take into account the recruitment of international players which is a fairly significant part of the BBL.

 

[bungwahl]

it's not nearly as compromised as our FC season. we don't play FC cricket for ~7 weeks. Directly leading into a tour of the best test nation on earth. India's FC season has always been finished in March, they are now merely pushing everything forward a couple of wickets to start the IPL off.

The english workload of consecutive FC games around T20 is not ideal I agree, but a high quantity of games is nothing new in English cricket. It's been like that for a long long long time. With 18 teams their domestic schedule has always been jam packed, and it's probably the reason why a lot of county matches are played at a rather lethargic intensity.

No problem playing the BBL over the christmas school holiday period to get the kids in, but there is a better way then to just stop playing FC cricket for 7 weeks. There is no reason why we can't cut down on the BBL game in late January, and get 2 rounds of shield cricket in leading into the South African tour.

When I thought before of playing the BBL across the whole summer I must admit I didn't take into account the recruitment of international players which is a fairly significant part of the BBL.

I agree that it'd be great to see the BBL cut down to a shorter period, but mixing FC games in with it is a poor option.

You realise that it's not new to have a break over summer? E.g. 76-77 there was just 1 game from 29/11 - 28/1, or even modern times 2000/01 there was just 1 round between Dec 18 and Feb 14.

I'm not a fan of T20 cricket, but blaming it for the current situation is a cop out.

 

[rickyp]

I don't see why the FC season can't continue during the big bash? Why does the big bash need to be the only cricket played during that time?

 

[XsaintsfanzX]

Why do we bbl teams sign names that play cricket for Australia! There is no point they hardly ever play a game. The bbl games should be played in the middle of tests and odI and t20s

 

[bungwahl]

I don't see why the FC season can't continue during the big bash? Why does the big bash need to be the only cricket played during that time?

BB Squads are different to State squads, so it's difficult to schedule FC games fairly during the BB window. E.g. they could schedule a Tas FC game when Hobart aren't playing, but then players like Faulks might be on duty for Melbourne, etc. Contractually it's a nightmare.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I agree that it'd be great to see the BBL cut down to a shorter period, but mixing FC games in with it is a poor option.

Its not an option at all in Australia. In England, where T20 is played by the counties it is perhaps not much different to swapping between First Class and ListA games. Here, with vastly different squads and players playing for WA and Brisbane for example that is not so workable.

The BBL is not THE problem, the use of T20 is one of many. The unfortunate reality is that the BBL will be held over the holidays. That will split the season. It would be nice if it could be brought back to 4 weeks or so - perhaps Boxing Day to Australia Day. That would require day games and double headers, or less matches. Neither appeal to television, and therefore not to CA.

So long as admnistrators put money ahead of their role as custodians of the game things won't get any better. Results may improve and paper over the gaping wounds of the system, but the rise of the professional administrator above the sports lover is only going to see the trend of cash over content increase.

 

[Tyberious Funk]

I don't have a problem with T20 cricket per se. I'm just struggling to remember a single match I've ever watched. Which is funny, given how exciting it's supposed to be. IMHO the "product" has been overhyped and massively oversold. And consequently it worries me that CA are seeking short term gains at the expense of the long-term future of cricket. I mean, how long will it take for the shine to wear off and the excitement to die down? Then what will we have?

I would have thought that cricket, like most sports, is ultimately sustained by the die-hard, passionate fans. Not the casual enthusiasts. Your casual enthusiasts might provide a short-term financial boost. But to use a marketing term, they need to be made "sticky". That is, their interest (and money) needs to become a long-term commitment otherwise they'll drift off to other sports and hobbies. A bunch of eminently forgettable domestic T20 matches might get the kids interested, but CA needs a plan to transition them to long-term fanatics.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

A lot of people are missing the point that money has a significant impact on success, hopefully this windfall will set us up for further dominance.

But if the money is ganed by undermining the systems that can lead to success, it is not worth having. That is the problem with the BBL set-up as it is. That T20 ideals are apparently being fed into junior cricket, and the money will be used to teach that, means the system gets broken and the money doesn't help at other levels one iota.
BBL isn't the problem on its own. The use of T20 is part of the problem. Sports administration should be about the sport. Making money can help the sport thrive but not if doing so undermines the game itself. That is where CA have gone way over the line in my view.

We now have the BBL going free to air to attract more people and kids to the game. Go and look at England and you realise that you can't even watch cricket free to air anymore.

If we didn't have anti-ciphening laws here, there would probably be no cricket on FTA here either. We would probably be closer to the UK's pay-TV take-up rates, and Fox would easily have outbid Ten or anyone else for the BBL rights. Comparing the two that way without taking into account the vastly different legislative framework they operate in is misleading in my view.

 

[the 5th wiggle]

We simply must have a full season of shield cricket.no arguments,then we need Sutherland and his cronies to work with the states(make them) review district cricket.i know in melb we have about 20 sides which is 10 to many.make every state have a10 or 12 team district comp.it won't happen becouse of politics and all these 100 yo clubs refusing change.looking in melb our district comp is a complete joke these days with the standard pathetic making it a massive jump up to shield even though the shields got worse ,it's no wonder we have only produced 2 test batsman in around 30 years.whats it like in other states?

 

[western royboy]

See, this is where a lot of this stuff go over people's heads. I don't mind T20, the Aus V Pakistan semi final in 2010 is IMO one of the greatest of games of cricket I have ever seen. And I've seen a few.

A lot of people seem to misunderstand that the future of cricket in this country is linked to money. That is an unarguable. Australia has just inked in a 500 million dollar television deal - the BBL played a pivotal role in that figure for various reasons.

We now have the BBL going free to air to attract more people and kids to the game. Go and look at England and you realise that you can't even watch cricket free to air anymore. In a few years, that disgrace will start to tell on England's fortunes on the field. Think about it, other than Joe Root where are all England's apparent young superstars? England have ridden on their South African imports, primarily KP and Trott. Even now, England have never even dominated world cricket yet their system is being purported to be this star producing factory.

It simply isn't so and the reality will bite soon enough.

Cricket Australia has secured a bonza in the television rights and now we can funnel this money into improving areas where we have allegedly lapsed. To me that is securing the long-term future of cricket and people here need to get their head around the fact that money is cruical to cricket in this country.

England will continue to produce good batsmen in the vein of Cook, Bell and Root because now their junior systems are vastly different to ours and despite going through a horrendous period where they looked for outside alternatives, the have got their base systems right. County cricket has 18 sides, that at some points in time has been a bit of an achilles heel, but it presents plenty of opportunities for youngsters. Their junior cricket is still largely long form where the basics of technique are still crucial to success. Importantly they are putting an emphasis on getting cricket back into schools through the chance to shine programs and more importantly they recognised 5-10 years ago that ensuring juniors transitioned to senior cricket was just as important as getting them in in the first plas. Root is a very good player IMO I've personally been following him for three years since I received one of his sticks from G&M, not the complete article yet, but he can play in all three formats equally adeptly. Importantly he has the basics right.

Yes money is crucial, but only if it is channelled in the right areas and to me that is at the foundations of the system which is grass roots. Go to any grass roots club and they all operate of the smell of an oily rag. I doubt we are going to see any explosion in funding that will make a difference. CA is more of a marketing agency, than an overseer of the game and that's the real shame, because if they were they would not have let it go so wrong for so long.

 

[western royboy]

We simply must have a full season of shield cricket.no arguments,then we need Sutherland and his cronies to work with the states(make them) review district cricket.i know in melb we have about 20 sides which is 10 to many.make every state have a10 or 12 team district comp.it won't happen becouse of politics and all these 100 yo clubs refusing change.looking in melb our district comp is a complete joke these days with the standard pathetic making it a massive jump up to shield even though the shields got worse ,it's no wonder we have only produced 2 test batsman in around 30 years.whats it like in other states?

The standard of the four pillars;

Community
District/Grade
State
International

has fallen dramatically over the past ten years, I am not the only one with that view. It's across the board in every state in every competition. Unless something is done quickly, the local senior comp here has less than 5 years and if overnight a law came in that you had to compulsory retire at Age 40 it would have ceased already.

Yet if you believe CA, it's all roses because we've got television rights and BBL, clearly the measurements of success are way out of kilter.

 

[chargers 09]

Like I said earlier, tradition don't pay the bills.

Fans don't care about domestic first class cricket anymore. It's a lame horse waiting to be put down.

Seriously do people who keep championing the cause of domestic first class cricket even watch it? No one goes to these games. How is it economically viable to play a comp where there is no fan interest, both in terms of going to the games or on TV?

In contrast the BBL has been so successful that it's gotten domestic cricket back onto FTA, which can only be good for the growth of the game.

You aren't serious?

 

[Harmichael]

Can't help but wonder if it's no coincidence that tailenders hardly ever get to bat in 20/20 cricket yet ours are batting better than our batsmen in test matches.

 

[philohk]

Can't believe nobody's noticed the typo in the thread title. Mods pls change to 'ruin'.

 

[philohk]

I'm not a fan of T20, but if it brings in money to the broader game I can deal with it. What I can't deal with is scheduling our summer around a two-month competition.

I don't pretend to be well informed about the state of cricket finance in Australia, but I've had a look at CA's latest annual report - for anyone who's interested, it's here:

http://www.e-brochures.com.au/cricketaustralia/annualreport2012/

There was a massive spike in revenue from 2011 to 2012 - from $164m to $260m. Is that from the TV rights deal? However, distributions to states only increased from $53m to $56m. CA says they want to create a cash reserve of $60m by 2015-16, but they also say they want to invest 75% of revenue in the game - maybe they're being tight-fisted in the meantime.

Anyone with a better financial knowledge than me care to shed some light? Caesar, you're an accounting / auditing type, right?

 

[Phone]

There was a massive spike in revenue from 2011 to 2012 - from $164m to $260m. Is that from the TV rights deal?

India tour, I'd wager. It would hence be hard to re-invest that into long term domestic cricket reforms. (such as finally introducing the ACT into the shield and expanded domestic cricket contract lists to try to help strengthen 2nd XI cricket/keep talent in the game)

 

[simon1976]

See, this is where a lot of this stuff go over people's heads. I don't mind T20, the Aus V Pakistan semi final in 2010 is IMO one of the greatest of games of cricket I have ever seen. And I've seen a few.

A lot of people seem to misunderstand that the future of cricket in this country is linked to money. That is an unarguable. Australia has just inked in a 500 million dollar television deal - the BBL played a pivotal role in that figure for various reasons.

We now have the BBL going free to air to attract more people and kids to the game. Go and look at England and you realise that you can't even watch cricket free to air anymore. In a few years, that disgrace will start to tell on England's fortunes on the field. Think about it, other than Joe Root where are all England's apparent young superstars? England have ridden on their South African imports, primarily KP and Trott. Even now, England have never even dominated world cricket yet their system is being purported to be this star producing factory.

It simply isn't so and the reality will bite soon enough.

Cricket Australia has secured a bonza in the television rights and now we can funnel this money into improving areas where we have allegedly lapsed. To me that is securing the long-term future of cricket and people here need to get their head around the fact that money is cruical to cricket in this country.

International cricket has not been on free to air tv since 2005 in England, county cricket before that cant remember the exact year though.
I actually think that we are producing better players through the system than when all cricket was on free tv.
I know KP and Trott came through the SA system, but Trott in particular really developed his game in county cricket.
So at the moment having no live cricket on free tv has not had a negative effect on producing good young players.

 

[simon1976]

Of course KP and Trott came through the South African system; take those two players out of the England team and England would be a far weaker side. As it stands, England have never won a ODI competition of note and they have NEVER dominated test cricket in recent history. This idea that England's county system is churning out superstars is a load of cods wallop.

• South African imports play a pivotal role in your side
• England has never dominated world cricket - how can a side that has never dominated world cricket in recent history (<20 years) claim that it's county system is a factory churning out superstar cricketers?

England-A visited Australia recently and failed to win a single match. How does that bode well for your future? I believe the decision to switch cricket coverage to pay tv in England is a disgrace, and it will have negative impacts on your cricket going ahead. I'd argue that is already evident through the performance of England A.


England's issue is that they have looked up to Australia for so long, that any victory over Australia is hyped up and various people/media claim that England's first class system is the best in the world. However, the cold reality is that England are an ordinary side that has beaten another ordinary side, not this juggernaut that is about to hold world cricket to mercy.

Smoke that in your pipe and deal with it mate.

Ok, English cricket expert.
We'll remember this post in a few years time.