Australia's Summer of Cricket - Do We Need to Fix the Scheduling?

[Damon_3388]

I've touched on this in another thread, but I think it deserves its own discussion.

Obviously it's too late to change anything now, but this is moreso using this summer as an example of how we can set things out better in future, both internationally and domestically.

The international schedule this summer is a bizarre dog's breakfast:

Sept-Oct - 5-match ODI in South Africa
Nov - 3-match Test series vs. South Africa
Dec - 3-match ODI series vs. New Zealand
Dec-Jan - 3-match Test series vs. Pakistan
Jan - 5-match ODI series vs. Pakistan
Jan-Feb - 3-match ODI series in New Zealand
Feb - 3-match T20I series vs. Sri Lanka
Feb-March - 4-match Test series in India

What was the point of the ODI series in SA? Why are the matches with NZ and Sri Lanka there? We should just have two 3-5-3 Test/ODI/T20I home series against SA and Pakistan from Nov-Feb, before heading to India in March.

I think in the very least we need to tighten up the scheduling and make it have a more logical flow to it, with both the international matches and state and BBL stuff. There's too much flitting between formats and levels going on I reckon.

Really, our international summer should have been structured like this:

vs. South Africa (in Australia)

29/10/2016-02/11/2016 - 1st Test
07/11/2016-11/11/2016 - 2nd Test
16/11/2016-20/11/2016 - 3rd Test

25/11/2016 - 1st ODI
27/11/2016 - 2nd ODI
29/11/2016 - 3rd ODI
01/12/2016 - 4th ODI
03/12/2016 - 5th ODI

08/12/2016 - 1st T20I
10/12/2016 - 2nd T20I
12/12/2016 - 3rd T20I

vs. Pakistan (in Australia)

17/12/2016-21/12/2016 - 1st Test
26/12/2016-30/12/2016 - 2nd Test
04/01/2017-08/01/2017 - 3rd Test

13/01/2017 - 1st ODI
15/01/2017 - 2nd ODI
17/01/2017 - 3rd ODI
19/01/2017 - 4th ODI
21/01/2017 - 5th ODI

26/01/2017 - 1st T20I
28/01/2017 - 2nd T20I
30/01/2017 - 3rd T20I

vs. India (in India)

04/02/2017-08/02/2017 - 1st Test
13/02/2017-17/02/2017 - 2nd Test
22/02/2017-26/02/2017 - 3rd Test (yes, just three Tests)

03/03/2017 - 1st ODI
05/03/2017 - 2nd ODI
07/03/2017 - 3rd ODI
09/03/2017 - 4th ODI
11/03/2017 - 5th ODI

16/03/2017 - 1st T20I
18/03/2017 - 2nd T20I
20/03/2017 - 3rd T20I

No lead-in ODI series in South Africa, no random ODIs or T20Is against New Zealand or Sri Lanka, all games in Sri Lanka done by 18/09/2016. Obviously we can't dictate the dates for everything (particularly matches overseas), but that would have been the ideal schedule for this year. We could even have the third series of matches be a home series in future as well. 9 Tests, 15 ODIs and 9 T20Is in a summer, plus Big Bash and other domestic matches, would be a massive money spinner for Cricket Australia.

And the domestic summer:

Matador Cup expanded and running in conjunction with Sheffield Shield (MC games on Tuesdays, Shield games Thursday-Sunday), with no Cricket Australia XI competing.

Matador Cup

04/10/2016 - Round 1
11/10/2016 - Round 2
18/10/2016 - Round 3
25/10/2016 - Round 4
01/11/2016 - Round 5
08/11/2016 - Round 6
15/11/2016 - Round 7
22/11/2016 - Round 8
29/11/2016 - Round 9
06/12/2016 - Round 10
13/12/2016 - Final

Sheffield Shield

06/10/2016-09/10/2016 - Round 1
20/10/2016-23/10/2016 - Round 2
03/11/2016-06/11/2016 - Round 3
17/11/2016-20/11/2016 - Round 4
01/12/2016-4/12/2016 - Round 5
15/12/2016-18/12/2016 - Round 6
02/02/2017-05/02/2017 - Round 7
09/02/2017-12/02/2017 - Round 8
16/02/2017-19/02/2017 - Round 9
23/02/2017-26/02/2017 - Round 10
09/03/2017-12/03/2017 - Final

Big Bash

31/12/2016 - Round 1
03/01/2017 - Round 2
05/01/2017 - Round 3
07/01/2017 - Round 4
09/01/2017 - Round 5
11/01/2017 - Round 6
13/01/2017 - Round 7
15/01/2017 - Round 8
17/01/2017 - Round 9
19/01/2017 - Round 10
21/01/2017 - Round 11
23/01/2017 - Round 12
25/01/2017 - Round 13
27/01/2017 - Round 14
29/01/2016 - Final

Less clashes with the international schedule, and allows more participation from international players, and a clearer set-up for fans to maximise interest and attendances (particularly renewing engagement with the Shield around the weekends). Test players could potentially get two Shield matches and three Matador Cup matches before the first Test of the summer, and compete in the majority of the Big Bash as well.

What do people think?

 

[Quadzilla]

Money talks ... why do we need more?

Player payments going up?

This year was a shambles but will they fix it?

Whitewash v everyone might change ACB ... we can hope

 

[Damon_3388]

Money talks ... why do we need more?

Player payments going up?

This year was a shambles but will they fix it?

Whitewash v everyone might change ACB ... we can hope

What I'm proposing isn't really a change to the amount of cricket being played, just cleaning up the scheduling and giving it more logical flow.

It took me 15-20 minutes to write up off the top of my head, so those who have months or years to plan should be able to do something similar. It should result in more money and more exposure for cricket, so I don't see why it couldn't be done, or worked towards over a number of years.

 

[ioppolo]

I remember the days of 3 tests vs someone, 3 more vs someone else, a T20I or two, then ODI tri series.

 

[JackOutback]

Maybe switch the opening Test and ODI series around...October is waaaay to early to play the first Test, but a series of ODIs might start to get fans excited. Also, the Big Bash isn't moving; it's structured around the school holidays and makes a ton of cash. Otherwise, I prefer the idea of Test/ODI/T20 series against the same nation.

The trick will be fixturing the domestic ODIs and Shield around it so that players are playing the right sort of cricket ahead of the international games.

 

[Cotchin 9]

It's got me absolutely ****ed how the first round of Sheffield Shield was a D/N fixture - followed by the Perth test. Then this current round of Shield cricket is played in the day with a red prune, with a D/N Test to come in Adelaide. Makes absolutely no sense.

 

[damochandler]

Put the matador cup after Christmas or after every shield game

 

[Damon_3388]

Also, the Big Bash isn't moving; it's structured around the school holidays and makes a ton of cash.

My plan has actually expanded the BBL (from 8 games per team to 14), but condensed it to just January (well, starting on NYE), which will still place it right where the majority of the tournament already is (running from 21/12/2016-28/01/2016 this year), but preventing a clash with Christmas and the Boxing Day Test, and making a cleaner transition and co-existence with international cricket and other formats, and hopefully allowing for more internatonal stars to participate.

Put the matador cup after Christmas or after every shield game

Well, I've positioned it on Tuesdays (before Shield games on Thursday-Sunday) in the first half of the season.

 

[JackOutback]

My plan has actually expanded the BBL (from 8 games per team to 14), but condensed it to just January (well, starting on NYE), which will still place it right where the majority of the tournament already is (running from 21/12/2016-28/01/2016 this year), but preventing a clash with Christmas and the Boxing Day Test, and making a cleaner transition and co-existence with international cricket and other formats, and hopefully allowing for more internatonal stars to participate.

Have to be wary of killing the golden goose; there's a fine balance required with the Big Bash. If anything, I'd like to see the Shield expanded.

 

[Damon_3388]

Have to be wary of killing the golden goose; there's a fine balance required with the Big Bash.

How does my proposal put "the golden goose" under threat in any way? If anything, it makes it more of a money generator, by having more matches and less competing interests.

If anything, I'd like to see the Shield expanded.

I'd like to see more Shield cricket played too, but when plotting it out, it's hard to see where more of it can fit in. I'm not anti-BBL, and don't think it needs to be reduced or lessened.

 

[Marklar_33]

It's got me absolutely stuffed how the first round of Sheffield Shield was a D/N fixture - followed by the Perth test. Then this current round of Shield cricket is played in the day with a red prune, with a D/N Test to come in Adelaide. Makes absolutely no sense.

I've been meaning to post this point for 2 days! It's a bit of a joke. Should be all pink ball until Day 1 of the Gabba Test (from this round I mean) and then red ball the remainder of the season

So
Rounds 1,2 - Red
Rounds 3,4,5 - Pink
Rounds 6-10 - Red

I've got different ideas for the summer I will add in a new post...

 

[JackOutback]

How does my proposal put "the golden goose" under threat in any way? If anything, it makes it more of a money generator, by having more matches and less competing interests.



I'd like to see more Shield cricket played too, but when plotting it out, it's hard to see where more of it can fit in. I'm not anti-BBL, and don't think it needs to be reduced or lessened.

I meant by saturating the market; I think 14 games is far too many.

 

[Marklar_33]

Ok, my ideal domestic summer would begin with Shield cricket until end of November, then switch to the first half of the Matador Cup tournament for the 2 weeks before BBL. BBL runs its normal course, before Matador wraps up in the 2 weeks after BBL (maybe games played in a different state than the first block) then the Shield continues to conclusion

 

[Damon_3388]

I meant by saturating the market; I think 14 games is far too many.

In reality, it's only 7 games across 4-5 weeks in each city (more for Melbourne and Sydney, admittedly).

I think it encourages both the casuals and the serious cricket fan to invest more heavily and engage more with their local team, and makes it seem more permanent and less mercenary than it currently does.

 

[Ronnie Baby]

Have to be wary of killing the golden goose; there's a fine balance required with the Big Bash. If anything, I'd like to see the Shield expanded.

Exactly

We all remember what happened to this goose

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Public interest in Sheffield Shield is dead, buried and never, ever coming back. Quit telling yourselves people can be scheduled into caring.

 

[JackOutback]

Public interest in Sheffield Shield is dead, buried and never, ever coming back. Quit telling yourselves people can be scheduled into caring.

We're not trying to schedule it into people caring, but we do need to schedule it to be relevant. It's a loss maker, but it is still essential if you want Australia to be successful at Test cricket.

 

[Damon_3388]

Public interest in Sheffield Shield is dead, buried and never, ever coming back. Quit telling yourselves people can be scheduled into caring.

We're not trying to schedule it into people caring, but we do need to schedule it to be relevant. It's a loss maker, but it is still essential if you want Australia to be successful at Test cricket.

Hopefully a by-product of changing the scheduling would be that more people would care (basing it around the weekend at least makes a day at the cricket a more viable option for people in summer, particular families with kids), but it's mainly about having a more logical flow to the season, and having more involvement from our international players as well, which I think my proposal would achieve.

 

[Marklar_33]

In reality, it's only 7 games across 4-5 weeks in each city (more for Melbourne and Sydney, admittedly).

I think it encourages both the casuals and the serious cricket fan to invest more heavily and engage more with their local team, and makes it seem more permanent and less mercenary than it currently does.

Extra BBL games I'm ok with, so long as regional centres get 1-2 a year in each state. Hobart have already stated if they were to get an additional home game it would be played in Launceston. Most other franchises would have an area they could tap into

 

[Cleavy]

Is the CAXI experiment finished now or does it still have at least another season to run?

 

[The_Reaper]

Is the CAXI experiment finished now or does it still have at least another season to run?

Finish it.

If we need a seventh side add the ACT and give them southern NSW and maybe even the parts of Victoria near the border as well.

 

[Marklar_33]

Finish it.

If we need a seventh side add the ACT and give them southern NSW and maybe even the parts of Victoria near the border as well.

Papua New Guinea
Hong Kong

Both ODI sides who need more cricket to grow the game

Of course, as if CA give any shits about that!

 

[ioppolo]

Having the PNG side play List A domestic matches would be awesome, but will never happen.

 

[footyfan1978]

Really, our international summer should have been structured like this:

vs. South Africa (in Australia)

29/10/2016-02/11/2016 - 1st Test
07/11/2016-11/11/2016 - 2nd Test
16/11/2016-20/11/2016 - 3rd Test



vs. Pakistan (in Australia

17/12/2016-21/12/2016 - 1st Test
26/12/2016-30/12/2016 - 2nd Test
04/01/2017-08/01/2017 - 3rd Test



What do people think?

Sucks mate.
The most important part of summer is the Tests but you condense them down so much there is no real feel of a true TEST series going on. I already feel that now. We not even hit summer, feels like Test series hardly started and I find Australia already lost this Test series so last Test is dead rubber and my interest is gone already. There was no anticipation of even a chance to grow some interest.

I do not like the trend of Test series rushed just to fit into the schedule for all matches.

The schedule should be centred around the Test series or the meaning to a cricket summer loses substance for me.

I get only having 3 Test series against nations just developing but if we are playing South Africa it should be a 5 Test series or a back to back 3 Test series on both nations lands.

I would have scraped the one day series in South Africa and had both nations organise 3 Test over there then and then continue 3 more here from later November or early December. We might even had it be one 6 Test series.

Or conversely play Pakistan now and then the Boxing Day Test in South Africa or here. So 3 Tests here and then got South Africa for 3 more or 3 Test there and back to here for 3 more. Where the Matador Cup is played is to be decided. It needs to be just before any one day international series.
I think the Matador Cup and BBL can run side by side and any international one dayers only take place from around Australia day time for a best of 5 series against one nation. Maybe that is when South Africa played a one day series but be here instead. There are too many random one day series all over the world. They need to be cut back and fit in with other schedules better. Nations should be playing no more than 15 ODI's in the year and it be structured to build up to the World Cup every 4 years.
30 ODI's a year or whatever we have now is where the real mess got created to start with and only got more complicated with T20 cricket and IPL money added in the calendar.

 

[footyfan1978]

A rough worked out possible schedule.

15/10/2106-18/10/2016 - Shield Cricket
22/10/12016-25/10/2016 - Shield Cricket and Australia XI visitors game against domestic RSA side
29/10/2016-02/11/2016 - Shield Cricket and Australia XI visitors game against domestic RSA side
07/11/2016-11/11/2016 - 1st Test v South Africa (Shield Cricket also going on)
16/11/2016-19/11/2016 - Shield Cricket and Australia XI visitors game against domestic RSA side
23/11/2016- 27/11/2016 - 2nd Test v South Africa (Shield Cricket also going on)
1/12/2016-5/12/206 - 3rd Test v South Africa
8/12/2016-11/12/2016 - Shield Cricket and South Africa visitors game against state side
16/12/2016-19/12/2106 - Shield Cricket and South Africa visitors game against state side
26/12/2016-30/12/2016 - 4th Test v South Africa (MCG)
30/12/2016 - BBL starts
31/12/2016 - BBL New Year's eve game
1/12/2016 - BBL game again
02/01/2017-06/01/2017 - 5th Test v South Africa (Sydney)
5/1/2016 BBL again
6/1/2016 BBL again
7/1/2016 Matador Cup games start and also BBL games going on
8/1/2016 Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
9/1/2016 BBL again
10/1/2106 BBL again
11/1/2016-15/1/2106 6th Test v South Africa (Adelaide) (Day/nighter)
14/1/2016 day Matador Cup games going on
15/1/2016 day Matador Cup games going on
16/1/2016 Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
17/1/2016 Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
18/1/2016 Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
19/01/2017 - BBL again
20/01/2017 - 1st ODI v RSA (Perth)
21/1/2017 - 2nd ODI v RSA (Perth)
22/01/2017 - Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
23/1/2017 - Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
24/01/2017 - 3rd ODI v RSA (Brisbane)
25/01/2017 - Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
26/1/2017 - 4th ODI v RSA (Adelaide)
27/1/2017 - Matador Cup games and also BBL games going on
28/1/2017 - 5th ODI v RSA (Melbourne)
29/1/2017 - Matador Cup Semi-Final 1 v 4 (Sydney)
30/1/2017 - Matador Cup Semi-Final 2 v 3 (Sydney)
1/2/2017 - Matador Cup Final (Melbourne/Hobart or Sydney)
3/2/2017 - BBL semi final 1 v 4
4/2/2017 - BBL semi final 2 v 3
5/2/2017 - BBL Final

vs. India (in India) moved back a week

in Australia the rest of domestic summer is the end of Sheffield Shield season and players being on standby to goto India if needed for Test squad

Sheffield Shield continues from 9th of Feb

I do not care how many rounds the BBL have as long as it fits into that schedule all good.
Also I do not care T20 international here. Leave it to the tournament ICC organise
Happy enough with BBL and a 5 one day series being enough in holiday season.