Australia may follow India’s domestic structure

The dearth in the number of teams in Australia means that many of the talented and skillful players remain on the bench and don't get to play.

Sydney: Australia’s premier domestic cricket competition, Sheffield Shield, could see additional sides in future if Cricket Australia adopts a recommendation made by one of its former captains.

At present, only six teams compete in Australia unlike India, where as many as 38 teams compete in Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy national tournaments.

---

The dearth in the number of teams in Australia means that many of the talented and skillful players remain on the bench and don’t get to play.

“We can’t afford for the bigger states to warehouse kids just because they might need them at some stage. I think that’s dangerous,” Greg Chappell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“If we were designing a structure from scratch now, we wouldn’t design it the way we have got it. I think New South Wales (NSW) could possibly have a second team,” he added.

Some of the best Australian cricketers belong to NSW.

Aussie Test side’s bowling attack comprising Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are part of the team along with Sean Abbott.

NSW also has top Aussie batsmen like Steve Smith and David Warner.

“We need to disperse the talent a little bit more evenly, rather than having good talent sitting on the sidelines in Victoria and New South Wales when they could be playing really well.”