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Help please on overseas players

Craig

World Traveller
1) EU players:- I believe England is a member of the EU so therefore counties cant block EU qualified players and the players can sue the ECB and/or the county for a restrant of trade am I correct? However, I only appriove of it or when players sign with the counties in a hope of playing for England like Kevin Pietersen has done with Notts and I believe the ECB residential qualifications is 7 years and I am told he has been living in Nottinghamshire since 1997 and becomes available next year and will surely get picked straight away.

2) Overseas players:- I believe counties should be allowed 1 overseas player with one or two temp replacements if the players gets injuried or is called up for national duty (Test and ODI cricket). However, if the players gets ruled out before the season and is the one overseas player, then they should be allowed another full-time signing but it doesnt count as a overseas signing.

This two overseas players plus temp players and EU players are taking money away from counties and preventing youngsters like Rikki Clarke get s regular spot at Surrey even though his FC record suggests he is good enough and will be playing Test cricket sooner rather then later.

There that is it.
 

Bazza

International 12th Man
I don't have a problem with that. IMO overseas players hold up to 36 spots leaving 162 places for English players. EU players will only be used here if they are better than the English youngsters.

So the way i see it the standard is higher than for many years, and by having to fight for their places and perform when they get a chance, the youngsters are bred tougher and this gives them a better chance of succeeding in test cricket when given an opportunity.

Rewind four years to when England were the worst side in test cricket, and there were 180 places for English born players (currently probably about anything between 100 and 140, not really sure). Those ~60 players were the worst 60 players in county cricket - but no longer participate.

Look at Australia - everyone considers them to have the best national team and strongest domestic competition in world cricket, and they have just 66 places up for grabs in state sides. Hence grade cricket is exceptionally strong and as a result players have to work so hard just to get a shot at state cricket. This is what helps make Australia number 1.

Personally, I have enjoyed this season more than any other thus far! :D
 

Craig

World Traveller
Yes that is because of the fact there is 6 States, whereas England has 18 counties, New Zealand has the same system as Australia though.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
NZ may well have the same system as Australia but you'll find that the standard of cricket is alot higher in Aus.

But still I think NZ are on the right track to improving the domestic standard.
 

Rik

Cricketer Of The Year
Pietersen's qualification period is 4 years, it's gone down since Hick arrived and had to wait 7 years. He's not been here since 98.
 

parra-matters

Cricket Spectator
I think the whole problem with english cricket over the past 10 years is the fact they let so many overseas players play in their county championship it takes places away form young up and coming locals, but in the last 2-3years their seems to be some younger ones coming through to test level so things must be improving on that front. Maybe they need a rule where as they need to have at least two local players under 22 in thier team each game to give the younger guys a run. We don't get any coverage of the games in Australia so I only go off scores I read in the paper and on the net.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
very good point, PM.

Some counties now are bringing young players through (in particular to replace players withdrawn by the national side) but there's still a long way to go.

The problem over the years has always been a reticence to play cricketers at 18 or 19 in county cricket (many Indians and Pakistanis historically have played 30 international games by then - and it can't all be down to 'funny' birth certificates).

Several English counties now are setting up 'schools of excellence' and getting out into the community more (Yorkshire take note - still no local-born player of Afro-Caribbean or Asian roots has made it to the first team) but it's a gradual process.

I for one am much happier with the setup now - it has to evolve rather than just be changed willy-nilly to copy (say) Australia. There are, as they say, no easy answers.
 

parra-matters

Cricket Spectator
i think Australia has the right idea with the Cricket Academy, which I think other countries including England are copying. They spot the talent at a young age and nurture them at the academy instead of rushing them into state cricket. But if they are ready at the academy then they end up playing a game or two mostly one-day games for Sth Aust as the Acadmey is based there, if they handle it ok then they are sent back to the state they came from to play club cricket and work thier way up to state. Jason Gilliespie went pretty much straight from the acadmey to state cricket and if you are good enought why not?
As the saying go's if your good enough your old enough.
You can't baby them for ever.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
parra-matters said:
I think the whole problem with english cricket over the past 10 years is the fact they let so many overseas players play in their county championship it takes places away form young up and coming locals,
With 18 counties, the youngsters are in a comfort zone. More overseas players means more competition for them, which is a good thing.
 

parra-matters

Cricket Spectator
As I said we don't get to see any county cricket here in Australia so I'm only going off what I have noticed in the England test team in the last 10 years and the score I read on the net and inthe papers. England had players like Gouch for example playing to a old age as Alec Stewart is now and not giving a younger player a chance to show his wares at the top level, but it seems to have changed lately and so has the proformance of the english team for the better.
Ok ok Steve Waugh is still playing for Australia at 38? I think, but have a look at his last 10or11 test matches and he is still at peak level. Some players at other counties Like Ranatunga for Sri Lanka were out of form for years before they stopped picking them and now Sri Lanka have gone backwards because of it.
 

parra-matters

Cricket Spectator
Craig said:
Rangatunga retired PM.

All I know Pietersen is not eligible until next year.
I know Rangatunga retired, but he should have been dropped a long time before that and give a young fella a go. That's all I'm saying look at them now Sri Lanka are struggling.
 

Bazza

International 12th Man
And they have some good young batsmen like Sangakarra and Jayawardene.

Anyway Pieterson arrived in 2001. No doubt he is the most talented young batsmen we have coming through. Shouldn't get too excited when he can't even play for us for another year but man he averaged 58 in 2001, 62 in 2002 and 63 so far this year! :O
 

Bazza

International 12th Man
Possibly, he can be an aggressiv player, but you don't average 60 by accident, and many people said the likes of Gilchrist wouldn't keep up their form but he did. Hayden too.

Attack is the best form of defence and all that!
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Bazza said:
Possibly, he can be an aggressiv player, but you don't average 60 by accident, and many people said the likes of Gilchrist wouldn't keep up their form but he did. Hayden too.

Attack is the best form of defence and all that!
Try telling that to Bonehead Flintoff. Oh wait - someone already did.
 

Eclipse

International Debutant
Craig said:
I'm told by one of my sources that Pietersn has a habit of driving on the up?
And thats a bad thing?? If you are good enough to do it then by all mean's do it.

All of the worlds best players are very good at driving on the up Ponting does it all the time and Lara, Tendulkar, Vaughan etc.. are all very good at it and will do it consistantly if they are batting on good pitches.
 

parra-matters

Cricket Spectator
Eclipse said:
And thats a bad thing?? If you are good enough to do it then by all mean's do it.

All of the worlds best players are very good at driving on the up Ponting does it all the time and Lara, Tendulkar, Vaughan etc.. are all very good at it and will do it consistantly if they are batting on good pitches.
How many times does Ponting do it on a slow pitch and gets caught? Quite a lot, it would be interesting to a stat that stated how many times he was out caught driving on the up on the offside. It would make up 15% of all his dismissals
 

Craig

World Traveller
Eclipse said:
And thats a bad thing?? If you are good enough to do it then by all mean's do it.

All of the worlds best players are very good at driving on the up Ponting does it all the time and Lara, Tendulkar, Vaughan etc.. are all very good at it and will do it consistantly if they are batting on good pitches.
Not on grassy wickets it isnt. Ok on good batting wickets, not on when it assissts the bowlers as it is easy to get a edge to the slips if there is some seam movement.
 

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