Aaand T20 takes another step towards destroying cricket as we know it...

[Timbo]

Australian news

Cricket Australia considers new 40-over format

Cricinfo staff
June 9, 2010


Cricket Australia is considering introducing a completely new limited-overs format as soon as next season, in what could be another nail in the coffin of the 50-over game. The Australian has reported that the CA board will this week discuss a domestic tournament of 40-over games, with each team to bat for two innings of 20 overs.
In effect, the format would resemble two Twenty20 matches played back to back, although wickets lost and runs scored would accumulate over the full 40 overs. The existing 50-over FR Cup is likely to be played at the start of the upcoming Australian summer with the new competition, if approved, set to take place in the new year.
Such a move would raise questions over the future of the World Cup, with England and South Africa already having reduced their domestic limited-overs tournaments to 40 overs. Making the change so close to next year's World Cup could also rob some players of practice in the 50-over format, although Australia's ODI team will continue playing the longer games.
"We're certainly concerned about that, there will need to be some thorough discussion, obviously quite quickly since we're talking about next season," Darren Lehmann, the president of the Australian Cricketers' Association, told AAP. "We're happy they're talking about reviewing the game and improving it, as far as how far they go, that has got to be discussed at length.
"Maybe reducing the overs to 40 per side is not a bad start, whether we can do two 20 over innings is something we need to discuss. My personal preference is to go to 40 overs per side, but I'm open to all ideas to improve the game."
While Cricket Australia are reluctant to discuss the idea in detail, a CA spokesman said there was no reason to be concerned ahead of Australia's World Cup defence. "Our view is that you can change the domestic format without affecting preparations for the World Cup," the spokesman said.



http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/462445.html

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It'll just be back to back T20 games. A slogathon. Nothing in it for traditional cricketers.

I hate what's happening to the game I love.

 

[Ridders]

zzzzzzzzzzz...I'll pass. Who would have thought that a day would come when the 50 over game would be considered too long..

 

[Twizzle]

"We're happy they're talking about reviewing the game and improving it, as far as how far they go, that has got to be discussed at length.

how is reducing it to 40 overs improving the game ?

 

[aussies1st]

That is just stupid.

 

[blain]

This would piss me off. What a stupid idea. Keep 50 overs dorks!! its a nice mix of playing with restraint, building an innings and slogging at the end.

 

[jargan83]

That is just stupid.

+1

CA has lost the plot with this idea

 

[zombie jesus]

Who gives a f**k. As long as Test matches are around I am happy.

Outside of the World Cup I don't care about any form of limited overs, I will watch it and enjoy it, but the results are long forgotten by the next pointless series.

 

[IanG]

Yuck!! I hate the idea don't even think about it

 

[MSIH]

Who gives a f**k. As long as Test matches are around I am happy.

Outside of the World Cup I don't care about any form of limited overs, I will watch it and enjoy it, but the results are long forgotten by the next pointless series.

Word

 

[IanG]

Nothing wrong with 50 over cricket. It's just that Australia have had no competition. Closest has been the series in New Zealand. Wouldn't be bellyaching about 7 match series if it's close. I'm sick of hearing about it. When one day cricket came about all the doom sayers weres saying Test Cricket would die out and it hasnt

 

[Red Bear]

Who gives a f**k. As long as Test matches are around I am happy.

Outside of the World Cup I don't care about any form of limited overs, I will watch it and enjoy it, but the results are long forgotten by the next pointless series.

bingo.

struggle to give a sh*t about 50 over cricket as it is, but if they touch test cricket that is when the game is in toruble

 

[Non Terminator]

Nothing wrong with 50 over cricket. It's just that Australia have had no competition. Closest has been the series in New Zealand. Wouldn't be bellyaching about 7 match series if it's close. I'm sick of hearing about it. When one day cricket came about all the doom sayers weres saying Test Cricket would die out and it hasnt

What crap.
We've got more competition in One Dayers than in Test cricket.

 

[Chook Herron]

Cricket Australia has announced a new format for the domestic 50 over cricket this season. The final 6 rounds will consist of 4 innings of 20 or 25 overs.

http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/story/462719.html

 

[Chook Herron]

I didn't read Timbos thread before posting this *sigh*

 

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

I'm devastated at this news, been fearing it will happen for a while now... but this is too soon.

 

[IanG]

I still hate the idea

 

[Hallatia]

I hate T20 so much

 

[Timbo]

The bulk of the Aussie cricketers have come out and said they don't want this.

The fans don't want this.

The 2nd XI coaches in England who have played this format say it doesn't work.

What the hell is Cricket Australia's problem?

 

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/463304.html

Cricket Australia's plan to introduce split-innings one-day games is a positive step but does not go far enough, according to the Australian one-day great Dean Jones. This summer's FR Cup will feature a trial in which each state's innings is divided into two, with wickets lost and runs scored carried into the second innings.
So, if a team finishes its first innings at 3 for 120, they will have only seven wickets in hand when they resume after the opposition has had a bat. Jones is pleased to see CA thinking outside the box, but believes a better option would be to restore all ten wickets for a team's second innings.
"It [split-innings] gives the opportunity for a family man who might miss Australia batting in the morning, to see the second part of their innings batting at night," Jones told Cricinfo. "But there should be Test match Twenty20 cricket. I think that's a better game, where both teams have two innings. Then you get to see Sachin Tendulkar bat twice in the day, and see any great bowler bowl twice in the day."
It is a view shared by Channel Nine, who could be a key player if the concept is taken to international level. Brad McNamara, the network's executive producer of cricket, said Jones' plan for "Test-match Twenty20s" was preferable as the star players would be given more exposure.
"From a broadcaster's point of view the splitting of the 50 overs into two innings is something we were reasonably interested in on the proviso that the best batters got to bat twice," McNamara said in the Australian. "CA were talking about splitting the innings and only having the 10 wickets going over into the next innings, which I must admit doesn't excite us all that greatly."
While the ICC remains officially supportive of the existing one-day format, it has encouraged its members to try new innovations at domestic level and will be keeping tabs on Australia's experiment. There is a widely held view that 50-over cricket has become tired, and the former Australian one-day star Simon O'Donnell is keen to support the new trial.
"It looks well worth the experiment to me," O'Donnell told Cricinfo. "If the game of 50-over cricket was heading to where some think it is, there's no harm in being proactive and looking at a revamp. The split in itself would be such an individual and tactical team challenge, to make sure you use those overs in the correct manner."
However, Jones and O'Donnell both believe it is not simply the format but also the volume of 50-over cricket that has become a concern. In an ODI career spanning nearly seven years, O'Donnell played 87 matches for his country, but it's now possible for players to rack up that many games in less than half the time.
"The game has basically been driven into the ground," O'Donnell said. "There was so much of it and it's something that I hope we've learnt our lesson from, for the sake of Twenty20 cricket. There's only so much cricket can go around. There's only so many people support it around the world. You wonder if that's what's started to fall on deaf ears."
Jones' grand vision for the limited-overs game includes not only "Test match Twenty20s" but also stripping back the amount of bilateral ODI contests between nations. Instead, he wants to see tri-series played as World Cup qualifiers, with all one-dayers contributing points to a team's eventual World Cup campaign.
Under his plan, Australia's upcoming five-game series against England would be off the cards, unless a third team was brought in and World Cup points put at stake. Jones believes there is a very real prospect that 50-over cricket could die out if something is not done to reinvigorate it.
"I think it would because we're really bleeding," Jones said. "The golden goose ain't got too many eggs now. They've got to draw a line in the sand and say we want to make this quality cricket. The ICC has got to take over the programming and not let countries do what they want with how many one-day games they play."
Cricket Australia's split-innings plan is one stride towards revitalising one-day cricket. Time will tell if it is a stepping stone to bigger changes.

I don't mind the split innings (with 1 50 over inns each, with 10 wickets, split into lots of 25) but there is no way that it should be 4 inns in a day, which will be just a 2 inns T20 pretty much.

 

[Twizzle]

not good if you're a batsman on 20 or so then you have to go a field for a few hours then start your innings again