In course of an exchange of views with The Pav, I had written
Here is the thing though - Australia had the best feeder system in world cricket for the longest time. But now, countries like India and England have caught on - India's feeder system does not depend on Mumbai and Delhi anymore.It is happening sooner than I expected
And the population spread makes a difference when you consider that, all things being the same, England and India have a distinct advantage over Australia in terms of numbers.
About the cricket itself, I dont think there are going to be any easy answers for Australia in the near and medium tersm. While the IPL will slow down the exodus to the AFL and Rugby codes, how many of the players will remain exclusive to thier states and country?
Let me elaborate - suppose the Champions League is due in 2 weeks time and Victoria are playing South Australia on an Adelaide featherbed. How many marquee players do you think Victoria will feature given that there is more to gain in the Champions League than the outing against SA?
Also, consider this scenario - a Hobart Test against BD or a Brisbane Test against the West Indies with the IPL due to start in 2 weeks. How many players do you think will willingly sign up to play the test given that they stand to lose more by not playing the IPL? Also, consider the above situation with the Champions League - will Victoria release Peter Siddle or David Hussey to play the test and risk injury when they stand to lose on the million dollars the Champions League guarantees?
Also, because of these leagues, there will be pressure on the selectors to play certain players over certain others...Its going to be a long, hard, bumpy ride..
QUEENSLAND and Victoria should know today if their international stars will be released for what is potentially a multi-million-dollar play-off in this Wednesday's domestic Twenty20 preliminary final at Brisbane's Gabba.
PS:- More grist to the mill
Here
In an unprecedented case, The Courier-Mail can reveal Hayden had his lucrative Cricket Australia retainer slashed after being sent home from Australia's tour of the West Indies last May with an achilles tendon injury.and here
CA officials believed Hayden had sustained or exacerbated the injury while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League last April.
CA enacted a clause in its Overseas Club Playing Agreement to deny Hayden a portion of his retainer and any compensation or insurance for missing the Caribbean tour.
It is believed Hayden claimed he should not have his pay docked because he sustained his chronic tendon injury throughout his distinguished 16-year international career.
Hayden, who retired last week, did not end up out of pocket because the Australian Cricketers' Association stepped in to compensate the Test legend out of its own player insurance pool.
But the case sends a warning to other Australian stars that they could be left out on a limb by their employers if they are injured in the IPL.
I don't believe this will be limited to Australia alone - loyalty is a virtue that is going to be under severe strain in the near future across the cricketing world.Dodemaide said the Bushrangers' request was based on the fact that the next one-day match against South Africa was not until Friday, and that White and Hussey did not play in any of the Test matches.
"Given that there was a clear gap between yesterday's match in Hobart and Friday's match in Sydney, which is only an hour away from Brisbane in any case, with a full day-and-a-half in between the matches, we thought it was a very reasonable case," he said yesterday.
"We thought there was certainly a case for discretion here considering the players involved … If it was a Ricky Ponting or Brad Haddin, someone that had been involved in all formats, then certainly you could understand it, but we thought [there was] an opportunity there to enhance the promotion of the competition. It was really a free kick for state cricket, and we think the opportunity's been missed hugely.
And this will be exacerbated by the fact that there is really no leadership in sight - the ICC is weak, vacillating and riven with factions, the different Cricket Boards rarely see eye to eye, rifts are evident with the "Asian" and "Project Snow" blocs, player power is unprecedented.
And no, a split in world cricket wont alleviate this problem, it may in fact have the opposite effect.
12 comments:
Hi Homer,
I reckon it's great. This is lifting the interest in the local competition which can only be a positive.
I don't see a long term problem. It is basically a fixturing problem & will be solved in time.
Anyway, if the "stars" don't play so what.
It just gives opportunity. Look at Warner.
Then there are other options such as WA hiring Gul from Pakistan
It's just another step in the evolution of the game.
Cheers
The Pav
Also, consider the above situation with the Champions League - will Victoria release Peter Siddle or David Hussey to play the test and risk injury when they stand to lose on the million dollars the Champions League guarantees?
I don't know all the legal details, but surely states don't have the right to withhold players from national duty. They can ask nicely or complain or whatever, but the final call is with Cricket Australia.
The prelim final on Wednesday isn't really the situation you talk about in the rest of the post. It's two days before the next ODI, so the players have easily enough time to play it before flying down to Sydney the next morning. It's only an hour flight.
It wouldn't surprise me if the scheduling was deliberate. And if it was just lucky, then it won't be in future - CA should make sure that the play-off for a spot in the Champions League doesn't clash with an international game.
The Pav/David,
I think the ramifications of the state versus country versus cash debate are much bigger than a simple fixtures problem.
CA might, in the future, tailor its domestic schedule in line with its international commitments, but that may bring with it more adverse reactions from states and players ( already there is some noise about how the current domestic schedule feels more like county cricket with the non stop cricket being played).
And already there are a lot of issues with the manner in which the international calender is structured and with no headway being made with respect to the IPL window, I expect no immediate resolution to the internation fixtures issue.
And that will have a trickle down effect on states and local cricket and that in turn will generate a lot more friction between the official governing bodies and the local bodies.
The other aspect to this is the concerted push to get the ICL recognized. If that happens, and if the tensions between Cricket Boards and state boards over fixtures and resources grow, there is every possibility that domestic teams will form breakaway leagues of their own ( funded by some wealthy entrepreneur or jilted TV station(Setanta, Zee, Fox)).
And with the precedent of the ICL being recognized, the ICC will be forced to recognize all of these breakaway leagues as official.
Apocalyptic I know, but with the way cricket is being structured and played and the stakes that are involved across the board ( domestic and international), there is every possibility it may happen.
Cheers,
PS:- Cricket Australia has refused a request from Queensland to allow members of the national one-day squad to appear in Wednesday's preliminary final of the domestic Twenty20 competition
Hello conflict!
The Pav,
About David Warner - the two innings I saw him bat, I was distinctly unimpressed.
Admittedly the two innings were not his best ( 7 in 12 in the 2nd T20 and 5 in 7 in the 2nd ODI) but what stuck me is that the kid has so bought into the hype that he was actually manufacturing strokes instead of playing proper cricketing shots.
89 in 43 indicates that he has talent, but I am not sure if he has the head for the big leagues, yet.
Cheers,
Hi Homer
My point was not that Warner was a star but how opportunity presents itself in times of change. There are other "Warners" around all they need is a chance
I agree the hype was/is ridiculous.
I have seen all three digs & his 89 was special. As to whether it was a one off is anybody's guess
Come what may he now has a profile.
It strikes that CA is being a little bit precious about the players. The played on Sunday then next game is Friday. Thats 200 overs in 6 days all in the same time zone. I wish my workload was as light!!
The Pav
In soccer, players seem to be only released by clubs to play for the national teams because rules were put in place forcing them. In cricket, the situation is reversed, and the contracts/legal weight is on the side of the national team. The T20 leagues could well force a change here, but it's not clear how national representation would be affected.
To some extent, it depends on the culture. Compare the Australian football codes: the bread-and-butter is the weekly club games, more like soccer than cricket. But in Rugby League, the interstate games are seen as a pinnacle of the sport, and players will take any chance to play, whatever the risks. This is contrasted with Aussie Rules, where the interstate games are on the whole not seen as important, and many players save themselves for the regular club games.
As for Warner, you may have a point about manufactured shots - when I have seen him perform well, it was because he was playing cricket shots very well.
The Pav,
I hope he does not become a one off - we have seen a lot of those here in India and I sincerely hope he does not join those ranks..
About the workload, couldn't agree more.Couple that with the pay and I blame my parents for not making me into a cricketer ( and no, we shall not bring in my talent into the discussion :) )
Cheers,
Jonathan,
I think the problem with cricket is accentuated because the game is run on national lines and because of the unique relationship the test playing nations share.
And with the IC being the ICC, I think the fissures in the game ( both domestic and international) will become more pronounced.
Cheers,
Hi Homer
Two things
1) I notice that in todays paper Warne has said there should be a two month window for the IPL
T20 is here to stay so its a matter of fitting it in.
2) I suspect you may know that Australia has a fairly succesful history in hockey. I think the game had some prominence in India once.
This conflict is faced by the Kookaburras with national players playing in the Dutch League for large sums ( well for hockey players any way) plus there is alsoe an Indian League.
The new coach (Charlesworth) doesn't have a problem with this & they manage the schedule accordingly. Whilst this isn't a template for cricket as an Olympic sport there is an underlying four year cycle that cricket doesn't have) it does show that it can be worked through. When it first started there was a hell of a ruction but all is love & kisses now
Cheers
The Pav
Leaving a two-month freeze on the calendar, as prescribed by the venerable Dr Shane Warne is the lone way out. Unlike football, where clubs spend its fortune behind a footballer and has reasons to be worried if he picks up injury playing for the national team, it's the national board which pays the cheque. So if the national board is fine with IPL, states can go and fly a kite.
The Pav,
Two mitigating factors
1. The hockey calender is not half as crowded as the cricket calender ( despite more countries playing)
2. Hockey does not have half the history ( or half the baggage) cricket carries with regards to friction and animosities between constituent members.
A 2 month window will be the way to go, but will all boards accede?
Cheers,
Som,
So if the national board is fine with IPL - that is the million dollar question.
Also, states and counties and franchises are going to have a greater say in player availability, over ruling the national Boards, given that the national Boards may no longer be the primary paymasters for the states and counties.
Cheers,
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