Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has criticised the Big Bash League for giving more importance to the glamour quotient than to the actual cricket.

Remarking that the quality of cricket is lower than that of the IPL and even the PSL, Watson, writing in his T20 Stars blog, said that the entertainment factor is necessary but cannot come at the expense of the cricket itself.

“The one thing that the IPL and PSL do is make the quality of the cricket, the product, the No.1 priority,” Watson wrote. “They know that if this is of the highest quality possible, then the longevity of the tournament and the commercial growth and success will look after itself. 

“Don’t get me wrong, they have all of the bells and whistles as well. However, the glitz and glamour goes on before and after the matches but very rarely does the entertainment affect the players’ ability to perform at their best. This is where the BBL has really lost its way. The quality of the cricket has been put on the back burner in the Big Bash and the entertainment gimmicks have been brought to the forefront.”

Diving into the specifics of what bothered him about the non-cricketing elements of the league, Watson was especially critical of the mic’ing up of players, especially of the fielding captain, which he said affects the captain’s ability to strategise, which consequently affects the quality of cricket his team plays as well.

“One of the gimmicks that I really feel takes away from the quality of the cricket product is the mic’ing up of players,” Watson wrote. “Up to two players from each team fielding are being mic’d up, with a significant amount of the captains being one of the two players. How in the world is a captain supposed to have his mind on the game when he is being interviewed regularly, when he should be focusing on what is required for his team and his own performance, at that moment in time?

“A number of the young guys are more focused on being entertaining on the microphone instead of prioritising their mental energy, to have it ready to go when the game calls on them, instead of burning it unnecessarily [by] being a player-commentator. The No.1 priority has to be the quality of cricket.”

Watson also felt that the new, elongated version of the tournament, with seven home matches, as opposed to the five in the old model, has driven fans to the point of saturation. Watson also criticised the season for extending past the holidays, when they are mostly viewed.

“It [extending the season] has first of all meant that the fans run out of puff. Families only have a certain amount of money and time to come out to the games, so when it was five home games, I am sure they were much more open to coming along. Now, with seven home games, families are going to have to pick and choose their games more carefully.

“Continuing on after the kids go back to school is another reason why the tournament runs out of puff in the lead up to the finals, when this should be the time when the tournament really cranks up. Again, the tournament is just too long!!! 

“It’s disappointing for all of the families that follow the season so closely until school goes back, and the last thing parents want is for their kids to stay up to nearly midnight watching the matches on a school night. I know what it’s like letting my kids stay up past nine o’clock on a school night and the battle we have the next morning trying to wake them up for school.”