Two firsts at the Gabba

Despite the total lack of buzz and excitement that usually precedes the Gabba Test match, heralding the start of Australia’s international cricket season, I’m looking forward to two distinctly different aspects of the game.

In the grandstand, it marks the start of a new era in an attempt to curb crowd behaviour, most significantly around the issue of excessive alcohol consumption and the flow-on effects that result from drinking too much beer under a burning sun. The emphasis now seems to be on returning Test cricket to a more traditional atmosphere where families and genuine cricket lovers are being wooed back to the game. For too long now, the Gabba Test has attracted attitude people with very little interest in the cricket itself but who felt the need to be part of Brisbane’s social events calendar.

I heard a radio interview this morning with the CEO of Queensland Cricket, Graham Dixon, an eminently sensible and commonsense chap, if ever there was one. His stance seems to be borne from a desire to position a cricket ground as distinct from a pub, a beach or a rock concert for imbeciles. On the banned list are whistles, beach balls and projectiles. The stadium will now have separate ‘cooling-off zones’ where one can escape the alcohol-fuelled louts whose biggest cheers are reserved for the ubiquitous Mexican Wave or the confiscation of a beach ball.

It will be some time yet before I will gird my loins and actually attend a Test in person. My last few experiences convinced me the best place to enjoy the subtleties of the game was in the comfort of my lounge room, far removed from the throng of fools who choose to pay double price for their beer and are recently in the habit of throwing cups of urine in the air during the Mexican Wave. And that is sometimes described as ‘atmosphere’!

There will no doubt be those who argue that these new rules will keep some people away. If so … great. Job done. If anyone chooses not to come to the Gabba these next five days because there is a limit on alcohol or beach balls or whistles or Mexican Waves, the policy would have achieved its main aim – keeping cricket sacrosanct for those who actually prefer watching cricket. What a unique concept!

The other big change I’m looking forward to is the new playing conditions around the video referral system. The traditionalist in me still yearns for the days when the character of cricket was built around the bedrock of accepting the umpire’s verdict but there’s a pragmatist who also shares the same space. Some traditions cannot be brought back from extinction. We need to move on and improve the current system.

What is particularly interesting to see is how captains manage the tactics around this new development in the game. Similar to the batting Powerplay, will it be left to the players on the field to make the call or will the decision be left in the hands of the captain or coach? Will the wicketkeeper begin to play a much more crucial role; he being best placed to make a snap judgement on many dismissals like lbws, snicks and even run outs and stumpings?

Will the coaches and analysts in the dressing room take a quick look at the first replay and let the batsman or captain know whether it’s worth referring the decision upstairs? With only two unsuccessful referrals up your sleeve, it makes sense to not waste a crucial call.

Here’s another interesting conundrum. Will teams take the first two opportunities to refer a decision, however early in the innings it is? Or will they be tempted to keep one up their sleeve, in case the game gets really tight and they need a ‘Get out of jail’ card?

Will it be left to the batsman at the crease to make a decision on his own referral or will teams have a rule that it must be the captain’s decision? I can envisage a situation where an out-of-form batsman, down on his luck and on the verge of being dropped, is given out lbw and is desperate for one last shot at redemption. His career may depend on making that 50-50 call but the captain may not think it’s worth the risk, with match-winning, in-form batsmen still to come. Will the captain over-rule his player and cancel the request for a referral? It will make for interesting dressing-room diplomacy.

The possibilities are endless, bringing with it a whole new dimension to the game. I suspect that teams will soon develop set protocols and rules around this facet of the game, to eliminate dissension and personal agendas. Players may well start doing some umpiring training courses, just to become more adept at reading lbw decisions in particular. Perhaps the relationships between players and umpires will improve, once players realise how tough it is to make an instant decision. The great irony is that in caught dismissals, there are likely to be more batsmen walking while at the same time, less pressure on batsmen to walk (by fielders). Those who nick it will know that they’ll be given out more often than not. Those who don’t think they’ve nicked it will stand their ground and be vindicated when the replays prove their innocence.

The really interesting moments will come when someone nicks it, calls for a referral and then gets shown to be a cheat. Even his own team will be filthy at him for wasting a referral.

Plenty to look forward to…