'Back to the future': Players offer schedule options to save state game
Australia's players have proposed a back-to-the-future model for domestic cricket which would see a return of BBL and WBBL double-headers, and one-day matches to follow Sheffield Shield games.
Players have formally opposed a proposal by Cricket Australia to reduce the number of matches in domestic cricket, first reported by the Herald last month, and resolved there should be no cuts at all to the women's game.
The Australian Cricketers' Association is opposed to cuts to domestic cricket.Credit:Jono Searle
The flexing of player muscle is a blow to CA's plans to cut costs as the Australian Cricketers' Association must agree to any changes to domestic competitions.
It is the latest source of tension between the players and the governing body, which is having considerable difficulty quelling scepticism among stakeholders over its financial situation as it aims to slash costs both to states and inside head office.
The board of the ACA met via teleconference on Wednesday and reaffirmed its position that Australia's domestic competitions, which it describes as the "envy of other nations", should not be cut.
Players have also urged CA to decentralise its high performance programs with more emphasis returned on competition between states to drive innovation.
In an email sent to members by ACA chief Alistair Nicholson, and seen by the Herald, players offered scheduling alternatives which they believe will help state associations make savings.
They include a return to WBBL and BBL double-headers, which had been common in the first four editions of the women's T20 league before it became a standalone competition last season and was played from mid-October to early December.
It remains unclear when the WBBL will be staged this season but if the same window is kept for 2020/21 it would pit the competition against the finals of the AFL and the NRL.
Players have also called for Marsh Cup matches to be played after Sheffield Shield games, which had been the norm before the domestic 50-over competition was moved to a carnival format in 2013/14 and held at the start of the season.
The structure of the tournament changed again last season with matches played in blocks and some games held after the Shield.
"In general terms, the board affirmed the importance of domestic cricket and state competitions, noting that any changes proposed to the domestic schedule within a 12-month period must be agreed to by the ACA," Nicholson wrote.
"The ACA does not agree to a reduction across domestic cricket as proposed by CA, reported to include the Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup and WBBL.
"Australia’s domestic competitions have long been a proving ground for this country’s cricketers and remain a genuine and cost-effective pathway. They are rightly the envy of other nations."
While CA appears to have cooled on ideas to reduce the WBBL, the WNCL still faces a possible reduction from eight to six rounds after being extended last season. This would be a blow for the women's game with the next World Cup slated to be held in February and March in New Zealand.
"In addition to this, the ACA Board resolved that no cuts should be made to female domestic cricket competitions in order to continue to build on the significant momentum out of the recent T20 World Cup in Australia," Nicholson wrote.
The players were critical of CA's high performance system as part of their submission to the Longstaff review of 2018, a view reiterated this week by ACA chair Greg Dyer and again at the board meeting.
"We have also requested that CA review and continue to look at reductions where possible from their elite pathways and CA co-ordinated high-performance programs, and that these resources be redirected back to State Associations," Nicholson wrote.