Cult hero calls for drastic change to fix glaring Aussie cricket issue
Test players not playing Sheffield Shield or even club matches is hurting the entire Australian cricket ecosystem, according to fast bowling legend Merv Hughes.
Australian cricket is in the midst of a trend of young players making a splash at Shield or first-class level, debuting at international level, failing to fire, before being dropped for an established star.
Matt Renshaw celebrates his century during the first ODI against Zimbabwe. Renshaw has been in and out of the international scene. AP Photo/Wonder Mashura
Those include Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Konstas, Cooper Connolly, and Xavier Bartlett who have all been in and out of the Test and one-day squads, although the latter is currently playing in the Zimbabwe series.
Speaking to nine.com.au, Hughes acknowledged the main reason the international stars aren’t playing Shield and club matches is largely down to scheduling and the demands of franchise cricket.
And as franchise cricket continues to expand, the demand trickles further down the tree towards the grassroots.
“I know the guys need breaks, but not too many international guys are playing domestic cricket, and a lot of state members don’t play a lot of club cricket,” Hughes said.
"People will say; 'Oh, Shield cricket has diminished, form there can't be trusted'. Mate, any form is good form.
"But you can only perform against who you're playing against. So if it's a weakened pool, then you've still got to be performing."
Hughes said Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Renshaw and even Marnus Labuschagne are good examples. When they drop back to Shield or first-class level, they score runs for fun, so they’re picked again.
Hughes said the expectation in his playing days, and only until the last decade or so, was players were expected to play in every match they were available for from the top down.
If they were fit, they'd be picked in the Test team. If there was a Shield match scheduled outside that, they'd be picked for that. If a Saturday came around and there was neither, they'd go and play for their home clubs.
Nowadays, international stars playing Shield cricket is newsworthy, instead of the other way around. Club matches? Forget about it.
The effect of having the best players playing would then strengthen the entire system, as better players drop down to make room, and other players in those competitions get better as they face better opposition.
Merv Hughes was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2021. Getty
"You've got to be playing cricket somewhere. I understand for fast bowlers, there's got to be that rest recouping time, but I'd rather see guys bowl in a game than bowl at training," Hughes said.
"If I go down to the nets and bowl 60 balls, well, 10 overs is great, but if you're just bowling at a stump and you're not bowling at a batsman … it (doesn't) get you thinking.
"When you're running in and bowling at off stump, for guys at that level, that's not much of a challenge."
Hughes, meanwhile, has joined forces with Australian Avocados to launch a nationwide petition calling on the country to formally declare avo toast as the country’s official breakfast
