January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
'Having no open cricket will be harmful to developing young players'
'Having no open cricket will be harmful to developing young players'
Bermuda Cricket Board have scrapped the open cricket format this season due to scheduling conflicts with the senior national team's upcoming Americas Championship and Intercontinental Shield commitments on local soil.
Yet, while Basden agrees that international cricket must take priority over the domestic game, he believes the longer version of the game should not be sacrificed at the expense of player development.
He said: "In the long run this is going to hurt us. I think we should still have open cricket because it's not fair to the youngsters coming through. I wish they still had open cricket because it does help you to develop. When I was growing up I played a lot of open cricket to my advantage. It basically helped my brother (Richard) and I develop our skills a lot better so when we made the transition to 50 over cricket we were ready. But these youngsters are not going to get that technique down because limited over cricket doesn't allow you to develop."
Like many clubs, Cuts used the open format to allow younger players to cut their teeth without being exposed to the pressures associated with limited over cricket.
"At Cuts we have so many teenagers who we have been pushing in this open cricket because it gives them a better chance to develop," Basden added. "In open cricket we can send our youngsters further up the batting order to allow them more time to bat themselves in or throw them the ball and let them bowl for longer spells."
One famous advocate of open cricket is West Indies legend Sir Gary Sobers who also views the longer version of the game as a valuable development tool.
Others, particularly in local circles, find it less appealing.
"Some of the older players say that open cricket is boring," Basden said. "They are on their way out of the game and just want to play limited over cricket which they think is more exciting - but this is not fair for the younger guys."
The former Somerset Cup Match skipper now fears that some of his team's younger players - that may be overlooked for selection to Cuts' Premier 50 over team - could become disenchanted and eventually part ways.
He said: "I am scratching my head now trying to figure out how I can pick these younger guys along with the senior players in the 50 over team - we might end up losing a few.
"Without open cricket it's going to be difficult for us to develop our youngsters because we have so many senior guys who are playing in the 50 over format. Open cricket is definitely going to be missed by our youngsters."[[In-content Ad]]
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