There are four simple ways that cricket’s regulators can help the long form remain both viable and accessible.
While the historic West Indian pace battery holds the crown for sheer terror, and the 2000s Australian attack for ultimate match-winning balance, this crop matches them in longevity and the ability to consistently grind down opponents.
Recalling NSW veteran Nic Maddinson into Australia’s Test squad to face South Africa is a selection gamble.
South Africa won’t play a Test against Australia at the famed Wanderers ground in Johannesburg. There’s a good reason for that.
Selection in elite sports like Test cricket and World Cup football works on the same principle.
Australian cricket faces genuine commercial pressures, but selling the T20 league to private interests wasn’t the answer. Instead, we need a CA model that protects the game’s soul.
To surrender control of the BBL would be a grave and unnecessary mistake, with consequences that could echo for decades.
Traditionalists look at the 2050 cricket calendar and see the ruins of a civilisation. I see a sport that finally stopped fighting itself.
The end of this era should not cause concern. Australian cricket remains healthy. An exciting crop of young talent is coming through to form the core of the next great Australian teams.
The most difficult period for selectors is when a team is nearing the end of its cycle. It’s time for the Australian selectors to start looking to the future.
