BBL’s one-day play

Franchises may replace states

BIG Bash League franchises would take over Cricket Australia’s one-day cup under a state reform that would spark the 50-over format back into relevance.

The push to separate whiteball contracts from the Sheffield Shield would give lifelines to BBL stars Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Dan Christian, Jon Wells, A.J. Tye and Ben Cutting, who do not play in the Marsh Cup because they no longer hold state deals.

The radical move to bring the Marsh Cup under the BBL banner would deliver two more teams, an influx of specialist white-ball players, increase jobs in cricket, and create potential for a booming TV product that would tap into the strong emotional connections fans hold with their teams.

After a decade of BBL, it is widely accepted that youngsters now barrack for franchises, such as the Renegades, Stars or Sixers, rather than state associations.

Promising players would also have to work harder to earn selection against the likes of Lynn and Christian.

And in years gone by, the likes of Brad Hodge, Adam Voges and David Hussey could have continued lighting up 50-over cricket along with the BBL, despite their firstclass days expiring.

Players could still represent their home states in white-ball cricket under an annual stateof-origin series, a model that has proven wildly popular in other codes.

Leading player agents are pushing CA to overhaul what they say is an antiquated state system, and have discussed their plans with Jolimont powerbrokers.

They have even raised the possibility of expanding the Sheffield Shield.

There have been six teams since the 1970s, with about 150 professional contracts available for Australia’s national sport.

The AFL and NRL boast almost 1500 contracts combined, making a career in the winter codes far more realistic for youngsters.

NSW has a population of eight million, which is close to 16 times bigger than Tasmania’s 540,000 — and yet they both have one representative team.

The exponential drop in salaries for state players is also concerning for some managers, and is another consideration for teenagers choosing which sport to pursue.

While Steve Smith and Pat Cummins easily took home more than $4 million through their CA and IPL contracts alone last year, a first-class cricketer such as Chadd Sayers, Trent Copeland or Victoria’s Travis Dean banks closer to $100,000.

While CA’s 20 centrally contracted players share a salary cap of about $17 million, the six state associations share a combined salary cap of roughly $13 million.

The BBL salary cap is $1.86 million, and the state cap is only slightly more.

But there are also legitimate concerns over the depth of talent and the impact expansion would have on the first-class product.