Among the steps the BCCI announced to improve Indian cricket were many related to domestic cricket. Sidharth Monga dissects these initiatives. I share the view with Monga that the Duleep Trophy should be scrapped. He writes:

The Duleep Trophy, supposed to be the highest-level first-class tournament, is robbed of gloss because of its timing. An inter-zone tournament should have the best performing players of the season participating but, by being staged at the the season’s start, the selections are based on the previous season’s numbers. Also, the Duleep Trophy was the step between the Ranji Trophy and international cricket, and was a prize of sorts for doing well in the Ranji; instead of diluting the identity and character of the Duleep Trophy it’s better to scrap it and make the Ranji season a bit less cramped.

There are quite a few other problems with the Duleep Trophy.

Players in Duleep Trophy teams are very different each year. It means that the team system and the benefits these systems bring do not come into play in a Duleep Trophy team. For instance, if we take the North Zone team assembling to play a game versus the East Zone, the Delhi players in the North team will hang out with their Delhi buddies, the Punab guys with their Punjab team mates, so on and so forth.

You come to play. Game finishes. You go back to your states. The sole goal of individuals is to notch up big scores or take truckload of wickets so that they can impresse the selectors. Aspects like team spirit, playing as one unit and developing together over the years are lost.

It also clogs up the calendar and eats up into the Ranji Trophy season. England faces a similar problem of too many and indistinguishabledomestic tournaments.

Matthew Engel speaks about them in the 2007 Wisden Almanack editorial:

The current set-up is not merely the worst that has yet been invented, but possibly the worst that could be imagined: the Championship interspersed with three one-day competitions, turgidly organised and distinguishable from each other only by the length of the matches. The destruction of the once-beautiful knockout cup should be used as a case study of blithering administrative idiocy. In Washington, politicians get impeached for less…

…Sport needs above all a narrative, a straightforward storyline that the public can grasp. Ashes cricket has it - and how. The World Cup will probably get one. So do all successful sporting events. Going along for the spectacle of a Twenty20 may be one thing; but the county cricket enthusiast is vanishing - turned off by the hopeless mish-mash.

Why should we, in India, need millions of tournaments? Duleep Trophy, zonal one dayers, Ranji Trophy and Ranji one dayers - the list never ends. Have a tight 10 team top division and lower divisions with a promotion/relegation system, one each for first class and one day cricket, and that should be enough. The Irani Trophy match has tradition and is a nice curtain raiser to the domestic season and so keep it but that should be it.

Australian first class teams play 10 first class games in their domestic competition each year. It provides tough, hard fought contests which benefit the players and builds up a story which people can follow. Ensure that the games are scheduled in such a way that international players can play at least play in half of the domestic matches (BCCI has indicated it will ensure players play more domestic matches in the future) if not more.

Years ago, we scrapped the Quadrangular/Pentangular. Now, it is time to scrap the Duleep (and stuff like zonal one dayers) and take a step forward.

Cricket is not all about the international one dayers and test cricket. There is the domestic cricket played in each country of course. Usually domestic cricket sees a sharp contrast from the crowd filled international games. However, domestic cricket has it’s own special charm. For me, there are two Eden Gardens.

One is the filled to capacity Eden during international games. The other is the empty - serene and almost heavenly Eden during domestic games. I love the jam packed Eden. But there is nothing like hearing the sound of leather hit willow and it’s consequent echo in an amost empty stadium. Add a cup of tea on a winter evening and you have the perfect cricket watching scenario for me.

Domestic cricket is under rated and very special. Two cricket fans experience the marvel in two different parts of the world.

Will Luke, Cricinfo journalist, was blown away at the sight of Lord’s. He went for the opening day of the traditional opening game of the English County season between the MCC and previous year’s champions and writes:

The lift heaved us to the top and, when the doors opened, my initial reaction was “Shit. I’m in a Big Brother house” which does a huge disservice to the centre’s architect! The design is ultra-modern and incredibly well-planned. All emphasis is on the ground, on the playing area, and the view is astonishing. The roof’s curve naturally dip down onto the glass, and so does your focus; you can’t get away from the view. It’s massive, and “there” - quite brilliant. Lots of blue everywhere too… I imagine I might prefer sitting in the stands for much of a day’s play, or perching somewhere, instead of spending the whole day in the media centre despite its’ many obvious benefits. Oh, it’s all bloody wicked.

In another part of the world, Liam Camps went to experience the final of the Carib Beer Challenge which saw the traditional rivals Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago face each other once more. When Barbados and T & t play, the stadium is not empty. Far from it! There is chatter, there is beer and there is a lot of atmosphere! Camps writes:

Surely this is as good as the sport gets. Surrounded by brilliant characters and an atmosphere unmatched by any sober setting. There they go at Best again. “Tino! Tino! What you think of the ladies here today?” As he laughs it off the hard-hitting questions continue, “Tino, where’s Fidel (Edwards)?” We all know the answer, but the fun is in the interrogation. Cricket, lovely cricket. Lara did not hit any big runs on this day, and the run rate did not leave many in awe, but West Indies cricket is still alive. It lives in the collective heart of West Indians around the region.

Ah domestic cricket!

Nimbus has bagged a 4 year year deal which includes broadcast of domestic cricket. I will be very interested to see how much domestic cricket is broad cast in the future and the plans regarding the same.