Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is not the best option, I am afraid, and the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) needs to understand that rain will fall in May, as it does every year, and you have to protect your marquee event.The domestic T20 tournament played at Guaracara Park in 2012 was badly affected by rain and yet the TTCB schedules it for the same period this time around.The result is the same, with the rain belting down and washing away the dreams of many teams. I feel it for Esmeralda, as they would have brought in players, prepared well, and the close knit village would have held aspirations of seeing their team playing on the Guaracara big stage. They did not even get a chance to walk out onto the pitch and their hopes were dashed by the rain.
I think that the domestic T20 should be the curtain-raiser for the season and should be played as a cricket festival in December. The national team will no longer have to use the month of December to prepare for the regional T20 series because the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has taken care of that. Now December is basically a clear month and the TTCB should use the time to stage the T20 tournament.The weather is generally better at that time of the year and once properly advertised the crowd will come out to see the matches.Also, this would represent a long break for the last round of the two-day league (normally ends in April) and fans will be starved for domestic action and this would ensure a good turnout. Looking at the crowds showing up for the current tournament at Guaracara Park, it is very disappointing indeed.I think that with multiple T20 leagues being played all over the country, the burnout factor for fans is now coming in to play.
Hosting this tournament as your first tournament of the season will give it that freshness and keenness amongst the cricketing public. This is what the TTCB should strive for in order to rescue this tournament and make it one that is looked upon as the major drawing card.Staging cricket in South Trinidad and using the excuse that it brings in more fans I think is something of the past.These days, southern fans travel to Port-of-Spain very easily to view cricket. If the T20 is the marquee event, it should be played at your best venue, which is the Queen's Park Oval. What this affords is the fact that if there is a downpour, the likelihood of cricket being played soon after is a real possibility given the world class drainage system that is present at the Oval.With this tournament kicking off the season, I think the momentum will be garnered to have a wonderful domestic season and all in all the cricket will be well supported.I want to suggest that the TTCB also look at playing three-day cricket instead of the two-day cricket that is now being played at the Premiership level. They need to extend the playing time for matches, so that batsmen, in particular, can adapt to playing longer innings and getting into the habit of building an innings.
We saw what happened to our batsmen in the regional tournament and it is my view that the domestic structure is doing nothing to assist the batsmen in this regard. What the board may like to look at is the possibility of playing the 50-overs league on a Saturday and starting the league match on the Sunday.The game is then completed the following Saturday and Sunday. What this ensures is that at the business end of the match, the conditions are not too different as the first day will be played a week from the last two days.If we return to three-day cricket I think the interest will grow and the standard of play will improve. Also the extra day's cricket will become possible as the T20 would now be played in December, so that some extra days would become available in the month of April and probably early May.As it stands, it cannot remain the same, so I am humbly throwing my two cents' worth in the debate as to what is the best structure for domestic cricket.
