Cricket Australiawill attempt to sign the death warrant of the traditional one-day game this week by making its domestic competition another version of the booming Twenty20 game.
Terrified that 50-over cricket will be irrelevant when Australia and New Zealand host the 2015 World Cup, CA is hoping its radical new concept will be taken up internationally in the next two years.
Friday’s board meeting will consider a detailed proposal to introduce a 40-over, two-innings competition at state level next season as a first step to taking it global.
“The public has been quite clear to us in its communication through extensive research and the strong message has been that we are at peril if we sit on our hands and don’t listen to the public message around reviewing and refreshing the format,” a CA spokesman told The Australian last night.
Australiawill continue to play traditional 50-over internationals for at least the next two seasons.
In deference to Australia’s World Cup defence next February-March, the 50-over format will continue in the domestic Ford Ranger Cup for the first half of the season, with the new competition to start in the new year.
The only difference between the new competition and playing two Twenty20 matches is that the wickets lost in the first innings will carry over into the second. A number of options were considered including two 25-over innings and playing innings of 40 and 10 overs.
The plan is a step further than Englandand South Africa, who have reduced their 50-over competitions to 40 overs.
One-day international crowds were poor in Australia last season as the state-based Twenty20 Big Bash continued to explode.
The biggest one-day international crowd for the summer was 30,000 in Sydney while more than 43,000 watched Victoria play Tasmania in a Big Bash match at the MCG, almost twice as many as attended Australia’s two one-day matches there.
CA refused to confirm any details before Friday’s meeting but admitted one-day cricket needed “refreshing”.
“The review of the one-day format that we’ve done over the last six months or so will go to the board this week for a discussion that suggests a trial in interstate cricket next summer,” the spokesman said.
Australia has a good record at introducing change to the one-day format, being responsible for fielding restrictions in limited-overs cricket and, more recently, power plays which further encourage strokeplay.
The main reason for two-innings matches is to try to boost crowds and prime time television audiences.
If Australiabats first in 50-over matches far fewer people bother turning up at day-night games after work or watch on television when they get home.
With two innings each, both sides will bat during the all-important night session regardless of who wins the toss.
And the reduction from 50 to 40 overs is an admission one-day cricket has too many boring middle overs, where batsmen simply bunt the ball to deep-set fields for endless easy singles.
“The driver behind this is what the public is saying, what the fans want, not what cricket people feel is appropriate to provide,” the spokesman said.
“The trial is not about refreshing the Ford Ranger Cup. The trial is about testing the public response to some new ideas which might long-term have international applicability.” – (The Australian)
