It seems that the relevance of the Sheffield Shield has diminished over the years because of the lack of our first class test player returning to the cradle to help the youngsters.
Past players John Benaud,Damien Martin and Darren Lehmann have bagged the weay it is played now days.
Once upon a time it was considered the next best thing world cricket wise to test cricket,but those days are long gone now.Seldom do we see a test player return to the Shield to represent his state.
The ruturn of test players was once the strength of the shield.It made second tier players work harder for a place at shield level,but now days it is hard to know the names of many who are playing in the shield.The next thing we hear of them is that they are representing Australia s 20/20 or ODI players.They play once or twice and disappear.
Also on the cricket subject,why are we as a test team worried about playing and winning the Ashes right now!!!Shouldn’t we be concentrating on how to beat the Indians!! Have we put the horse before the cart here!!!
I think you’ve answered your own question. 20/20 is lucrative for the likes of, for example, Shane Warne and Brad Hogg - way past it on the international scene but able to be of value (perhaps limited in the former).
Shield was once desirable for those looking to continue their cricket - but 20/20 provides a richer, easier living for the professional sportsman - its as simple as that I’d say..
You make some good comments Anchorman, I think the dreaded dollar is killing cricket.
Ordinary players are getting good money to play T20 cricket and this makes players think they are better than they are. This style of game doesnt help their technique, or ability to play good test cricket, it just makes them an earner.
I reckon you will find the big issue is, with the players you named they had to work to suppliment their cricket income while they were playing, so they stayed in the state and played for their state or club side each week.
Now a days people like maxwell make a million dollars from 7 weeks in the IPL, so why worry about playing shield cricket???
Good points,but where does it leave our test team!! We have no chance unless we get our Shield house in order.
The Poms did it.But how do we fix the problem?We can’t stop the players from making money.
Look at the detrimental affect that the shorter forms of the game have on Sri Lanka.They have no idea how to play test cricket ,yet play the shorter versions of the game better than most.That is because they can not get the bigger countries to play them at test level.
I think test cricket in the next few years will come under bigger threat than it has ever been.
Bollinger hauritz Haddin still play to name a few Hussey and ponting reckon they will turn out again next season if there bodys hold up. But very good point anchor the Sheffield shield is the feeding ground for our test side and it seems it doesn’t rate with players I went to a WA game this season and there was about 100 spectators there a few weeks later I couldn’t get a ticket for the big bash cause of a sell out. Sad isn’t it