Warner, Whitney push for grade rebuild

The push for part of cricket's rebuild to come from the ground up is gaining further pace, with former Test quick Mike Whitney joining the chorus of calls to send players back to grade level.

Player availability for grade and domestic cricket formed part of the Longstaff review, which came at the same time as Steve Smith and David Warner's appearances during their 12-month bans.

Australia's 13 Ashes players from last summer played an average of just three Shield games and one club match each in 2017-18, although there appears be an increase this year.

Warner spoke at length after he and Smith's clash on Saturday about the need to re-establish the grade system, as did former Test captain Michael Clarke on radio.

Few ex-players are as well connected to grade cricket as Whitney.

He's served as Randwick Petersham's president for 18 years, and has seen first hand the impact of David Warner back at the club this season.

"We know the Longstaff review said that Shield cricket and Grade cricket have suffered because the program is too cluttered and they haven't got these guys back," Whitney told AAP.

"So there has to be a rejig there.

"I couldn't have asked any more of Dave. He has been a deadset model citizen to work with all our grades and spent time with everyone and run fielding drills at training."

Experienced mentors to help youngsters in grade cricket has widely been seen as on the slide in recent seasons, particularly given a noticeable drop in the age of players.

The replacement of Second XI with Futures League in 2009-10 is noted by some as part of that, a problem addressed by Cricket Australia (CA) when the number of players aged over 23 allowed in each side went from three to six in 2013.

An under-19 team will also be introduced into the new Future's League T20 competition, in turn allowing space for more grade players into state sides.

CA have also tried to bring older elite players back, most recently this summer through the newly-launched national Twenty20 championship which will see each state's best grade teams face off next March.

"The standards of Second XI cricket aren't there anymore," Warner said on Saturday.

"So it's important for us when we do come back to try and lay a foundation for the guys coming through and try and get more participants.

"When I was a young kid coming through, we had mature adults playing first cricket. A lot of people over 30. I was lucky enough to be a youngster brought into that.

"That's missing now in grade cricket. Because those guys don't have that stepping stone to go forward."

Warner and Smith will return to grade cricket again this Saturday, with CA expected to respond shortly to the players' association's submission that theirs and Cameron Bancroft's bans should be lifted.