County Championship Bonus Points must stay
Friday, October 03, 2008 : County Championship
Writing in the The Wisden Cricketer, Lawrence Booth, advocates a football style 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw system for the County Championship, in his article 'Bonus Points Must Go'. He argues that more emphasis on the match result and less on the performance of the teams in the first innings will make for more aggressive, result orientated cricket. Is this a good idea?
How does the current Bonus Point system work?
Win: 14, Tie: 7, Draw: 4
| Runs | Points |
|---|
| 200-249 | 1 |
| 250-299 | 2 |
| 300-349 | 3 |
| 350-399 | 4 |
| 400 and over | 5 |
| Wickets | Points |
|---|
| 3-5 | 1 |
| 6-8 | 2 |
| 9-10 | 3 |
Bonus points apply for first 130 overs of the first innings only.
Therefore, the realistic ranges of points derived from each result are:
Win 17-22
Draw 4-12
Loss 0-8
Is a 3/1 points system any better?
It is obviously a simpler system and therefore more friendly to new fans of cricket, especially those introduced by results-orientated Twenty20 cricket, but it has a number of disadvantages too.
Weather
Many matches each season are curtailed by bad weather. Matches can start on the 3rd day with very little prospect of a result. Playing for bonus points in these matches makes the toss and the performance of the teams still relevant to the competition.
Entertainment
In terms of the relegation battle, a 3/1 league would have been all over before the last round of matches. Yorkshire would already have been relegated. Consequently half of the final round of matches would have been dead rubbers. As Lawrence Booth concedes '... bonus points played their part in the excitement surrounding the final round of championship matches...Lawrence Booth
'. I for one was gripped, as hour by hour the fates of all the teams developed.
With the current system there are entertaining 'game within a game' moments as the match progresses. The tension rises and and falls as each milestone is approached.
Tie-Breaker
Durham and Notts would have started the last round of matches with 25 and 23 points respectively. If Durham had drawn their match, both teams could of finished with 26 points, the same number of wins, draws and losses. The matches between the 2 teams both ended in draws. How would the Championship of been decided then?
Australia
The Australian Sheffield Shield, a competition that the County Championship is endeavouring to emulate, rewards teams with bonus points for the first innings.
Everyone can bat
The value of tail-ender runs is emphasised with a 50 run last wicket partnership likely to realise an extra batting point. Robin Martin-Jenkins also writing in The Wisden Cricketer explains that there are very few genuine rabbits out there.
Bonus Point Strategies
Does a team prosper by preparing a flat track in order to take 12 points out of every game?
No, just look at Surrey. Largely thanks to Mark Ramprakash, Surrey earned a whopping 45 batting bonus points, but were ultimately relegated.
Can a method of aiming to collect maximum bonus points while drawing all matches help you avoid relegation?
No, just look at Surrey. 20 more 'draw' points and they would still have finished last.
If it ain't broke
Justin Langer says there's not much wrong with the County Championship. 'With every Division One game having something hinging on the result, there was so much pressure and expectation on the teams it reminded me of the build up to an important Test series.Justin Langer
'
Everyone agrees that the County Championship should be the learning ground for future Test cricketers. When necessary, it should therefore develop the ability of batsman to bat out draws and of fielding sides to bowl out obdurate tail-enders. Encouraging the re-appearance of contrived results, with a 3/1 system, would discourage this.
In any points based 'league' there is a balance to be drawn between encouraging 'exciting results' and the need for 'holding on for a draw'. Test Cricket doesn't have bonus points we know. But that is because 'results' (the ICC rankings apart), are based on individual series and not a league.
Concession
Maybe the current system could be tweaked to apply to only the first 120 overs to encourage faster scoring rates (something approaching 4/over) for the first innings.
Next Article:
Shane Warne's New Book - Shane Warne's Century
Previous Article:
Badger Set for ICL - Paul Nixon signs for Indian Cricket League
All Articles