This is an excellent article - an important topic in itself but opening the door to two others regularly surfacing in chatter among my Aussie cricket tragics who care deeply about the sport. One is the relationship between test cricket and T20 - long term it needs to be more than coexistence. The other is what kind of sport administration and structure is best suited for cricket’s sustainability in Australia? For too long CA has failed to demonstrate “leadership acuity”. Without both those being sorted we seem to be drifting toward the extinction of test cricket, which would be shameful as that format provides the foundation for most elite cricketing skills plus the mental test and unique mateship opportunity that attracts us to introduce the game to our sons and daughters and, even today, is the format that creates the most impactful and enduring memories (exhibit Bangladesh v Pakistan this past week).
I think this coming season and the next Aussie home season is fine with 5 match series against the two best teams to keep test cricket alive. BBL might take a back seat for couple of years.
You can't blame the players for taking the big, easy money of T20 over Sheffield Shield etc. It was fine when it was a novelty thing with Fatty Vautin catching like Roger Harper and NZ playing in their retro beige and funny wigs. If only that's where it had stayed. But when you give players the chance to earn big bucks without even having to get a sweat up then the future is set. Stress fractures will be about as prevalent as smallpox is now, and eventually I imagine the only injury "bowlers" will sustain will be RSI from pressing the buttons on the bowling machines that will inevitably replace them. T20 matches (or T10 or T0.1 or whatever it ends up (de)volving into) will ultimately be able to be generated via ChatGPT: just train the machine with a set of drab indiscernible previous games and get it to regurgitate another result that is same-same but different to the input. Ironically the real "grey goo" that will overtake the world won't be self-replicating robots but the exponential growth of T20/10/5/2/1+ leagues, ultimately suffocating the planet and mercifully putting us out of our misery so we never again have to suffer the unmatched dullness of reports of drafts/franchises/leagues ever again.
Interesting article. Personally, I like the way the BBL operates here. Going on around a test series or two. It matters not to me that the national players don't play much or which overseas star rocks up for 5 or 6 games. To be honest I'm not sure who are the "best" T20 players in world. It's T20 cricket, bit of fun and move onto the next game or season.
I do have an issue with overseas investment of the kind the ECB are pursuing at all costs. If that became the model here, I could live without watching or attending the BBL.
The ageing test side - Australia not alone there - is an interesting one. I would have thought a Test career would certainly be profitable and a steppingstone for T20 leagues for many. Surprised to learn that any T20 league would be signing domestic players from Australia without runs on the board.
We are a small market, not sure what's wrong with operating in that small market. If players want the big paycheck, and I have no problem if they do, then someone else can fill their place. I do struggle to think of examples of this.
BBL/WBBL has lost a significant part of Australias’ cricketing population and fan base.
Its self proclimating focus on the cities has alienated the country areas.
Cricket in the bush needs a hero, an injection of vitamin D and something to cheer for.
The NRL are doing it better than most codes with the Cowboys and Canberra.
Cricket needs tribalism to survive. Them against us. State vs State/Territory.
Why would people living in Mt Isa cheer for a Brisbane side?
Why would people in Broken Hill give a toss about the Sydney Silver Spooners.
Go back to basic State & Territory based tribalism or at least allow in some other sides that make the competition more representative of our vast country.
City centric focus is ignoring the back bone of Australia and quite frankly is simply not representative of our country.
Does the Big Bash really need that many overseas or foreign players? Most of them aren't that much chop anyway. But there's this "exotic" thing that comes with them: they're an overseas player, so (for some reason) they are automatically considered a notch or two above the domestic fare, even when they're not.
The growth of franchise T20 cricket astounds me. I just can’t understand how copious amounts of meaningless T20 cricket can be sustainable. As others have written, the essence of sport is meaningful competition. I guess everyone is piling in now while there is money to be made but the music must stop at some stage. Maybe BBL just rides this out until everyone else exhausts themselves.
This is an excellent article - an important topic in itself but opening the door to two others regularly surfacing in chatter among my Aussie cricket tragics who care deeply about the sport. One is the relationship between test cricket and T20 - long term it needs to be more than coexistence. The other is what kind of sport administration and structure is best suited for cricket’s sustainability in Australia? For too long CA has failed to demonstrate “leadership acuity”. Without both those being sorted we seem to be drifting toward the extinction of test cricket, which would be shameful as that format provides the foundation for most elite cricketing skills plus the mental test and unique mateship opportunity that attracts us to introduce the game to our sons and daughters and, even today, is the format that creates the most impactful and enduring memories (exhibit Bangladesh v Pakistan this past week).
As usual, a great thoughtful read and bang on the mark Sam. I really enjoyed how Aristotle got a mention...
Would be keen to hear from more learned people than me on this thread on how these problems are going to be solved.
Privatise BBL ensuring we fall in line with other T20 comps around the world?
Heaven forbid, move tests or move the BBL to make sure our best local players are available?
The BBL was a bold move by CA many years ago-how are they going to replicate that so both red ball and white ball cricket fans are happy?
I think this coming season and the next Aussie home season is fine with 5 match series against the two best teams to keep test cricket alive. BBL might take a back seat for couple of years.
You can't blame the players for taking the big, easy money of T20 over Sheffield Shield etc. It was fine when it was a novelty thing with Fatty Vautin catching like Roger Harper and NZ playing in their retro beige and funny wigs. If only that's where it had stayed. But when you give players the chance to earn big bucks without even having to get a sweat up then the future is set. Stress fractures will be about as prevalent as smallpox is now, and eventually I imagine the only injury "bowlers" will sustain will be RSI from pressing the buttons on the bowling machines that will inevitably replace them. T20 matches (or T10 or T0.1 or whatever it ends up (de)volving into) will ultimately be able to be generated via ChatGPT: just train the machine with a set of drab indiscernible previous games and get it to regurgitate another result that is same-same but different to the input. Ironically the real "grey goo" that will overtake the world won't be self-replicating robots but the exponential growth of T20/10/5/2/1+ leagues, ultimately suffocating the planet and mercifully putting us out of our misery so we never again have to suffer the unmatched dullness of reports of drafts/franchises/leagues ever again.
Interesting article. Personally, I like the way the BBL operates here. Going on around a test series or two. It matters not to me that the national players don't play much or which overseas star rocks up for 5 or 6 games. To be honest I'm not sure who are the "best" T20 players in world. It's T20 cricket, bit of fun and move onto the next game or season.
I do have an issue with overseas investment of the kind the ECB are pursuing at all costs. If that became the model here, I could live without watching or attending the BBL.
The ageing test side - Australia not alone there - is an interesting one. I would have thought a Test career would certainly be profitable and a steppingstone for T20 leagues for many. Surprised to learn that any T20 league would be signing domestic players from Australia without runs on the board.
We are a small market, not sure what's wrong with operating in that small market. If players want the big paycheck, and I have no problem if they do, then someone else can fill their place. I do struggle to think of examples of this.
BBL/WBBL has lost a significant part of Australias’ cricketing population and fan base.
Its self proclimating focus on the cities has alienated the country areas.
Cricket in the bush needs a hero, an injection of vitamin D and something to cheer for.
The NRL are doing it better than most codes with the Cowboys and Canberra.
Cricket needs tribalism to survive. Them against us. State vs State/Territory.
Why would people living in Mt Isa cheer for a Brisbane side?
Why would people in Broken Hill give a toss about the Sydney Silver Spooners.
Go back to basic State & Territory based tribalism or at least allow in some other sides that make the competition more representative of our vast country.
City centric focus is ignoring the back bone of Australia and quite frankly is simply not representative of our country.
Cricket Australia wake up!
Does the Big Bash really need that many overseas or foreign players? Most of them aren't that much chop anyway. But there's this "exotic" thing that comes with them: they're an overseas player, so (for some reason) they are automatically considered a notch or two above the domestic fare, even when they're not.
The growth of franchise T20 cricket astounds me. I just can’t understand how copious amounts of meaningless T20 cricket can be sustainable. As others have written, the essence of sport is meaningful competition. I guess everyone is piling in now while there is money to be made but the music must stop at some stage. Maybe BBL just rides this out until everyone else exhausts themselves.