Big bash lessons for AFL

[Mug Punter]

I love the BBL but I think it just complements test cricket and the 50 over format.

And it certainly is a game changer in terms of economics and player opportunities at the first class level. In five years the BBL has created a viable career path in cricket (and a very lucrative one at that) for at least an extra 100 players in Australia. In an age where talented sportsmen, who are usually good and cricket and a football code, this is a real win for cricket.

Lose test cricket and you lose the game's soul and heritage. Over-expose T20 and you kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. The three forms can co-exist

[cos789]

Lose test cricket and you lose the game's soul and heritage. Over-expose T20 and you kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. The three forms can co-exist

Australian Football is probably the best example of a sport that has evolved over time. Some of the original laws of the game are the complete opposite of today.
You couldn't pick the ball up of the ground but rather soccer it and pick the ball up on the hop.
Also you couldn't tackle a player, so how did you take possession ? Well you pushed him (in the back) and hacked (tripped).
There is argument as to whether we should let the game further evolve or bring in laws to preserve the older nature of the game.
American Football has a lot of rules specifically designed to ensure there is no evolution.
Soccer has had few but important tweaks. The creation of a penalty box and the removal of back-passing to the goalie.
Rugby has had numerous small changes with little apparent effect.
W.R.T. test cricket we're not talking about any evolution but underlining the fundamentals. That is, people want to see cricket played at test cricket rate and they want to see a result. Playing for a draw or the weather is not a true contest. So dividing up the allotted time into available overs, half to each team to be used as desired, not only seems fair but probably the original general intent of the game before the emergence of block-athons.. Having one team bat endlessly and then leave insufficient time to bowl out the other team has lost many people. Undoubtedly BBL is popular but I wonder how long it takes people to realise that it already exists in the form of baseball.

[CureTheSane]

Unfortunately for test cricket, kids just don't have the attention span these days.
Even with their smart phones at a game, a day at a test match it an endurance.
And they don't really watch TV any more.
I remember when the ODI's came in and it was great. Sitting in the lounge room with the aircon on full blast. A swim half way through.
Too hot outside to do anything else, and there were only 4 other channels to flick through.


There is actually a risk that ODI's will be the first to go.
10/10 is the same thing but lasts 3 hours instead of a full day, and is more exciting.
We used to have two teams come out for a what? 12 games? Then the two better teams would play off in 3 finals.
now it's one side, best of 5.

The best thing the Big bash has going for it is the regional teams.
Like AFL, it enables rivalries between friends.
Unlike tests and ODI's where everyone in Australia pretty much wants the same thing.
I'm more inclined to watch a Big Bash between the Scorchers and the Strikers than a 20/20 between Australia and India - probably because of the way the games are on, you can pretty much turn on channel 10 every night and watch a game.

[Meg]

The best thing the Big bash has going for it is the regional teams. Like AFL, it enables rivalries between friends.

Unlike tests and ODI's where everyone in Australia pretty much wants the same thing.

Ha! Tell that to the 20,000 (my guess) Indian-Australians at the SCG where I've been tonight. Great atmosphere, great that it was only won with two balls left, and appropriate that India should win.

[dimelb]

Ha! Tell that to the 20,000 (my guess) Indian-Australians at the SCG where I've been tonight. Great atmosphere, great that it was only won with two balls left, and appropriate that India should win.

Don't they love the game? I saw them applauding Australian boundaries!

[CureTheSane]

I was in India during the world cup in 2011. Ruled all of their lives while it was on.

[cos789]

I was in India during the world cup in 2011. Ruled all of their lives while it was on.

And finally football is getting some synergy there from cricket in India.

WRT cricket we see the continual contraction of overs to package it closer to other sports and the game is drastically altered.
There seems no attempt has been made to limit the effects like reducing the number of batsmen available.
It seems technique has been traded for excitement.