Have the future in mind

Published : Oct 06, 2001 00:00 IST

STEVE WAUGH, along with many other leading players, is calling for less cricket. After just finishing a three-month tour, he has now suggested this should be further reduced.

Not so many years ago, English tours lasted about five to six months and players could be required to play in up to 30 first class cricket matches, including the Tests. Nowadays, they play 13 or 14 games at the most.

I have some sympathy for him when he complains about the quality of the teams Counties select against visiting teams, but I will argue strongly against the 'too much cricket' claim.

It is interesting to note that all these demands are coming from senior players, many nearing the end of their careers and all who have benefited from older systems which allowed them abundant cricket to develop their skills.

Steve Waugh certainly benefited greatly through this and the high amount of cricket he played enabled him to hone his skills, with, of course, much help from benevolent selectors.

Steve was virtually carried for three years by the Australian selectors before he was entitled to really call himself a Test cricketer. He played in as many games as was possible and then, of course, played for Somerset in County cricket. He took advantage of this system and much cricket until, after many years, he became the cricketer he is.

Of course there is now many more one-day matches at the international level and more countries playing Test cricket. They certainly play a lot of international cricket, but also a lot less domestic first class cricket. And here is where my concern really lays, for it is vital that youngsters get the chance to test their skills against the Test men.

At present most Test cricketers would hardly play three Sheffield Shield matches a year and bowlers even less. Glenn McGrath has hardly played for NSW in the last five years.

I stopped coaching Australia in 1996 and even then we were worried about judging the skills of batsmen who were doing well for their States, for they seldom played against the tough Test bowlers. Little wonder then very few young batsmen are now seriously threatening the established Test stars.

Much has been made of the depth of Australian cricket, but how many are youngsters. Most in the Test team are now in the 30-plus bracket and the likes of Lehmann, Cox and Law, who are dominating County cricket, are all on the wrong side of 30. Others such as Kattich, Hussey and, of course, Ponting are not youngsters and in the 26-plus bracket.

Steve Waugh is not alone in his call of 'too much cricket' and criticism of the present systems. Mike Atherton, last season, earned the wrath of the English administrators, and rightly so, by declaring that the English system was virtually useless in producing Test cricketers. There is much to be done in English cricket, but it is not useless, after all didn't it produce Mike Atherton.

One senior bowler at Lancashire seriously suggested the perfect system. For a week in County cricket would be a three-day match, one or two days off and the rest to practice and tune-up your skills. Sounds nice for the senior present-day bowlers and batsmen, but what about the youngsters trying to make it?

There is a great pre-occupation in cricket these days to try and prolong one's career, and playing less cricket is high on the agenda. Who can really blame these senior players with the money now available to the player. It is quite understandable, but is it really good for the senior players, the up-and-coming youngsters and the game in general? I have serious doubts.

Yorkshire, who have a rotation system amongst their fast bowlers, had there worst ever season with injury, was this caused by too much cricket or too little?

England opted for the second season at central contracts system where the English coach had control of when players were available for the County or not, between international fixtures. As a result most English players, I believe, were undercricketed rather than being overused. As a result their form suffered and so did their team and individual performances. And so did their County team and youngsters all over England who would have benefited by playing against the best players England had to offer.

It was so ridiculous this summer that some batsmen barely played 40 days of Test or County cricket and one fast bowler was obviously overweight and lacking in form because of too little cricket.

Cricketers have traditionally probably trained and practiced less than most international sportsmen. Playing less must be seriously considered, for it is not just now we have to worry about, but the future of our great game.

There is no miracle format to playing better, though with the fashion fad and theories now dominating coaching and administrators at present you would think there was. I will recall once again Gary Player's words: "The more I practice, the luckier I get." Sounds good to me.

More stories from this issue

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment