BBL 2020-21: 'Trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel was not broken' - Shane Watson slams Big Bash League's new 'gimmicks'

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson slammed the new rules introduced in the Big Bash League (BBL) terming them as ‘gimmicks’. He believes that there is nothing wrong with the format or the league now that has warranted such drastic changes.

Cricket Australia (CA) recently announced three new rules for the upcoming version of the BBL, namely, the ‘Power Surge’, the ‘X Factor Player’ and the ‘Bash Boost’. Watson wrote in a blog post on his T20 stars website that this is just a misguided attempt to address the issue of continuously falling television viewership.

“I read today that the BBL is introducing these new gimmicks, such as the ‘Power Surge’, the ‘X Factor Player’ and the ‘Bash Boost’ in a misguided attempt to reinvigorate the tournament. I just can’t seem to get my head around why there are people out there who are trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel was not broken,” Shane Watson wrote.

Check out: The 3 new rules explained

The 39-year-old feels that the rule changes will make it too complex for the fans to understand, let alone the players and team management.

“The complexities that these new ‘science experiments’ are going to create for the viewers, let alone the players and coaches, when none of these have been tried and tested at lower levels, have really taken the wind out of my sails.”

In this blog I write about my shock at the announcement yesterday of these new gimmicks for the upcoming season of @BBL Things were really looking up but now I am worried. #t20stars https://t.co/pCuA18dvtp

— T20 Stars (@stars_t20) November 16, 2020

Get the world’s best players playing on world-class pitches: Shane Watson

Shane Watson added that the simple solution for making the league the best in the world is to get the best players playing in the BBL, and to prepare the best surfaces for them. There is nothing that attracts the views more than good quality cricket.

“The simple game plan in my mind is to get the world’s best cricketers playing on world-class pitches and guess what, you will get world-class cricket to watch for the cricket lovers out there and we will all be on the edge of our seats admiring the feats of these amazing cricketers.”

Twitter users mock bizarre rule changes in BBL

The former all-rounder concluded the blog hoping that the new rules become successful in the BBL, starting from December 10, and that he is proved wrong.

Entertainment levels 📈“The Power Surge, X-Factor and Bash Boost prioritise high scoring, exciting cricket, introduce new strategic angles and ensure there’s always something to play for throughout the entire match," - Head of BBL, Alistair Dobson #BBL10 pic.twitter.com/Nacna2XHw9

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) November 15, 2020

Shane Watson was a mainstay of the Sydney Thunder squad until the 2019 season of Big Bash League. He is currently the president of the Australian Cricketers Association.