Australian cricket’s strongest states have been assured they won’t lose their top talent to rivals under a proposed draft system to improve talent pathways around the country.
Cricket Australia high performance boss Pat Howard admits the sport needs to sell itself better in the fight against rival codes like Australian Rules Football and rugby league and is determined to set up more opportunities for juniors coming through.
Howard understands cricket can’t offer the same number of professional contracts as the football codes, however he’s eager to correct a misperception that the sport’s pathway is limited to the 11 players who wear baggy green.
At a talent identification forum with state representatives last week, a number of proposals were raised, including a draft concept and the possibility of fast-tracking a Cricket Australia National Performance Squad team to participate in the domestic one-day cup.
Howard said adding an extra Sheffield Shield team to the competition was not on the agenda for the foreseeable future.
The wheels are in motion for a national draft of sorts to be introduced, however Howard stresses the concept wouldn’t see a powerhouse state, namely NSW, lose its very best talent to rival associations.
“You don’t want a kid to leave home,” said Howard.
“You are going to play for a club team and a state team and a BBL team and if you can do that from your house and stay at home that’s obviously going to be a preference to a young man or young woman.
“But we want to make sure the fourth best player or the fifth best player from that state, who could be in a contracted system in another state … is getting to the next level.
“We want to make sure that offer is on the table.
“The priority picks concept is exactly how we spoke about it … and that would put pressure on the state talent managers to get their talent right.”
Howard said CA were looking to better promote the opportunities to young players, including overseas tours with junior Australian squads and the prospect of earning the biggest contracts on offer in any national sport.
However, at the higher end CA is also looking at increasing the number of players competing in the national domestic competition.
A National Performance Squad is set to be considered for entry in the one-day cup to offer fringe talent the chance to mix it with the best from the six states.
“The most sensible place to look at that would be the (one-day) cup but I’m open to all ideas and we’ve got to flesh that out a little bit further,” he said.
NSW is currently in a dominant position in Australian cricket, with a second XI that could compete with other states and dozens of Blues juniors starring for rival teams – like Phil Hughes for South Australia and Jackson Bird and Ed Cowan for Tasmania.
Howard said the Big Bash League showed it was conceivable a state could field two Sheffield Shield teams, however he emphasised that is not a plan being discussed.
“I think we all believe six teams at Sheffield Shield level is a really strong concentration of talent which keeps the calibre of the performance really high,” he said.
