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Reality show to find the next Warne? |
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Dec 11, 2009 at 12:00 AM |
Australia's spin-bowling future could rest in the hands of a reality television show.
Cricket Australia have been advised in a paper published by Australian Centre of Excellence to consider an Australian Idol-type series to unearth young talent, according to News Limited reports.
However, Cricket Australia is reluctant to take up the idea at this stage because it could throw any talent development strategies into chaos.
"It [the suggestion] was raised but it is not part of our strategy," said Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young in The Courier-Mail.
"I don't want to create the impression we are using reality television to identify the next Shane Warne."
The show would follow in the footsteps of Fox8's Football Superstar, where players were given the chance to join an A-League club.
Figures revealed at the Cricket Australia board's annual general meeting in October showed that slow bowling in Australia was in decline, with the percentage of deliveries used by spinners in Sheffield Shield halved over the last 40 years.
In the 1960's 45 per cent of deliveries were sent down by spinners; compared to just 25 per cent this decade.
Australia's greatest spin-bowler, Shane Warne, retired in 2007.
Prior to the current Test series against West Indies, Australia had not picked a spinner in five of 13 Tests. In the 2009 Ashes Series, spinner Nathan Hauritz was controversially left out of the decider following his costly misreading of the pitch at The Oval.
The poor showing prompted a revamp of The CA Cup, now the Futures Cup, where selection and use of spin bowlers in encouraged and rewarded with extra points given for wickets taken by the slow bowler.
Prior to the Test Series against West Indies, Australia's head of the National Selection Panel Andrew Hilditch, said in regards to the perceived hole in spin bowling stocks: "I actually think we're in a pretty good spot at the moment."
By WWOS staff |
