Mitchell Starc applauds NSW stance against cricket’s non-crisis as other states fire staff at distressing rate
Cricket is facing no great problem, the Indians will tour, the BBL will occur, the broadcasters will pay the enormous amounts of money due across the summer. What’s all the fuss was about!
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On Tuesday, Cricket NSW announced it was intent on securing a batting coach. This follows other recent appointments at the state association and the hiring takes place as other states are firing staff at a distressing rate.
Cricket Australia has stood down staff on a fraction of their pay, but is yet to announce how many will go in its restructure.
Already over 100 jobs have been lost.
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Cricket NSW is in a better position than other states, but it has found savings without tearing at the fabric of its organisation and has reserves it is willing to use. Other states did not have reserves or were unwilling to use them.
Cricket Victoria declared its rainy day funds weren’t for use at such times. In doing so they sounded like an insurance company refusing to pay on a flood claim: sorry this isn’t a rain, this is a biblical inundation, you’re policy does not include acts of God …
NSW and Queensland are the last states holding out against Cricket Australia’s demands to accept a 25 per cent cut to their annual grant and every day that passes confirms the common sense of their stance.
Cricket is facing no great crisis, the Indians will tour, the BBL will occur, the broadcasters will pay the enormous amounts of money due across the summer.
The four broadcasters — Channel Seven, Fox Cricket, Sony and BT — are expected to chip in more than $300m between October and March. If they can come through with that money, Australian cricket will have to ask itself what the fuss was about.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc was wheeled out by Cricket Australia on Tuesday and in the absence of anyone else, the quick spoke a lot of sense on a lot of issues concerning the game right now.
Starc applauded Cricket NSW’s decision to push back against head office’s cuts to grants, encouraged authorities to allow bowlers to shine the ball and acknowledged the value of grassroots cricket.
“In terms of NSW, they have been pretty strong in holding their position. From the little updates that I have read from NSW, that’s a big part of their plan, to be part of growing the game, definitely in the state,” he said.
“They’ve been heavy to push back on the cuts and to keep that — that’s obviously where we have come from, as international and elite cricketers, we’ve come from the junior clubs to grade clubs all the way to international cricket.
“It’s a huge part of the game in Australia and I can’t say what’s happening around the country in terms of the cuts and the like, I don’t know the specifics around it and I’ve only read a little bit about how NSW are going about it and full credit to the NSW board in trying to — I guess at this stage hanging on to all of their staff and their grassroots at the moment.”
Starc’s a man of traditional values at home and on the field. He has turned his back on the millions to be made from T20 domestic cricket in leagues like the IPL for two reasons. First, he cherishes the chance to spend eight weeks a year with his wife, Alyssa Healy. Second, he has enough on his plate with Australian cricket duties.
“It’s hard enough juggling one cricket schedule with three formats let alone when my wife plays cricket on a completely different schedule as well,” he said.
“So, that’s something that I take into consideration heavily; being able to spend time together and I guess in the instance of the IPL, that’s a CA leave period.
“For us to have that time together, which we have in the last eight weeks, I wouldn’t give that up for a contract at all. It’s not definitely something I have shut the door on. I’m still open to playing T20 leagues, obviously the IPL and BBL, which I haven’t played much of as well. I have put that on the side to spend a couple of extra weeks at home.
“It’s not just the IPL or others, it’s the ones in Australia as well. There’s a lot I consider when making those decisions and that’s not to say that I won’t play this year, next year or any other year. I’ll take it as it comes with the schedule that I’ve played, how my body is going and I guess a large portion of that is how little I’ve seen my wife and family as well.”
Starc is concerned at moves to stop bowlers shining the ball with saliva when the ICC won’t allow a replacement substance.
“There needs to be that even contest between bat and ball,” he said.
“Otherwise people are going to stop watching and kids aren’t going to want to be bowlers. As we saw in Australia the last few years, there are some pretty flat wickets and if that ball is going straight it’s a pretty boring contest.”