After watching the first few rounds of the Australian Big Bash League I have changed my view on it – I think it has positives for Australian cricket.
A franchise competition, the League essentially expands on the Indian Premier League (IPL) concept whereby a mixture of rising stars, established domestic players and internationals play in different teams. The Big Bash is a home-grown IPL.
The value is having the likes of Brett Lee, Shahid Afridi or Shane Warne play in competitive situations with young Aussie talent – like 20 year old Nic Maddinson – and passing on their knowledge, skills and tips in big time cricket situations. Cricketing intellectual property and strategic thinking can propel a young gun into a bona fide international star. Maddinson’s star may soon shine.
So from a domestic, regional perspective, it has tremendous value. Crowds are ten-fold higher than the one-day or four-day matches. The marketing, particular involving Warne and Stuart MacGill – who both carved tremendous records for Australia – has been outstanding. Matthew Hayden versus Shaun Tait. Brett Lee versus Brad Hodge. These scenarios are marketers’ dreams.
Great, but limit the amount of T20 internationals played. Keep it a domestic concept. Above local T20 it becomes a bore, an annoying chore to watch. Sixes become ho-hum. Who is the current international T20 champions? Do you care? I am sure the players don’t. A T20 to open a tour would seem satisfactory, a low-result match which serves to blow off the rust to one’s game.
Tests, One-Day Internationals and T20’s will find a way to co-exist – let’s hope the ICC understands each format’s place and schedules accordingly.
