Junior Rule Changes are Driving Kids Away from Cricket. Could the Future of Australian Sport Suffer?

The next generation of Australian cricket may be set to crumble, as rule changes at youth level get it dangerously wrong.

In 2017, Cricket Australia announced an array of rule changes to cricket at a junior level. With a focus on inclusivity and creating an introductory experience for young cricketers, they stripped the junior levels of competition, and heavily modified the game so all players would play equal part. These rule changes can be found here.

According to The Roar’s Scott Pryde, Cricket Australia are on to something with the opening stages of their plan, “I can handle modifications up to under 10’s,” he says, “The idea of a set number of balls and other changes which allow kids to enjoy the game are fine up to that age group. I had them and it allowed everyone to be involved in the game,” he says in a comment on The Roar.

Beyond this initial introductory period, the restrictions begin to irk Pryde, “Once you get to under 10’s, the only reason people are still playing is because they want to play the real thing.”

The idea that these restrictions make the junior game too dissimilar to its full-scale inspiration is understandable when looking at some of the rules.

One rule for example states that each batsman will bat for 17 balls, and even if the bowler bowls an illegal delivery, they will still count towards the batsman’s tally. Meaning that a batsman could come in, not face a single fair delivery, and then have to leave the field so someone else can bat. This has ruffled a few feathers.

A committee member at Baulkham Hills Cricket Club spoke about the immediate effect this is having on some juniors, “Many kids are playing a year or more above their age group to avoid falling into the restrictions.” He said.

Once those senior teams are full however, other kids will be stuck playing a modified version of cricket, diminishing their chances of being skilful by the time they hit seniors age.

The committee member fears this could entail consequences on a huge scale for Australian sport, “Sachin (Tendulkar) played test cricket at 16, yet in Australia, 14-year-olds will be for the very first time not having to retire after (17) balls… The number of high-quality cricketers will reduce as this generation comes out of the restricted game and into normal cricket.”