‘Aussie dominance bad for cricket’

AUSTRALIA’S domination of Test and one-day cricket is contributing to the decline of the game internationally, according to former Australian captain Greg Chappell.

But, in a curious twist, International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray believes the very country annihilating rival cricketing nations could form the basis for an international renaissance — through the exportation of Australian personnel, training techniques and infrastructure blueprints. According to Chappell, only Australia and India are holding firm internationally, while England, the West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe are showing few signs of progress. “There are people within cricket who are concerned, very concerned about the state of the game worldwide,” Chappell said. “It’s part of the International Cricket Council’s charter to grow the game and protect the game worldwide, and I think they’re very worried about where things are headed.

“You can’t play the game in a vacuum. Australian cricket can’t run its business in a vacuum, and this must be of concern because it’s going to affect the business in the long run. “(The form divide) is already showing up in television rights. There’s a strong feeling within the sports community that the next round of television rights is not going to return the same income the last round did, which is certainly going to have an impact from the game’s point of view and players’ point of view.” A day after Steve Waugh’s side rolled the West Indies by nine wickets — their third victory from as many Tests on this Caribbean tour — former Aus-ralian wicketkeeper and academy coach Rod Marsh was appointed to England’s selection panel. Neither development came as a major surprise. As Australians re-write record books in Test and One-Day series, not to mention the World Cup, opposing countries are seeking to tap the strategies that propelled Australia to their lofty perch.