Maxtalent Cricket Academy will continue with their new rule that will allow all 14 squad members to play in their inter-school tournament matches next season following positive feedback.
Maxtalent trialled the idea in their annual MGS Vision Cup, which attracted top schools across Dubai and Sharjah, last month after head coach Sudhakar Shetty wanted to experiment the initiative in the UAE, which was put forward by former Indian batsman and legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Their Under-12, U-14 and U-16 matches were all contested with 14 cricketers and while it made the games more exciting and closely-fought, there was plenty to gain for coaches, parents and players.
“When a team won the toss, the batting team selected their strongest batting line-up and in the second innings, the three batsmen were replaced by specialist bowlers,” explained Shetty.
“That means each and every person in that squad had a chance to play. One of the concerns especially for parents, is that they would allow their kids to go for the matches but then the boys wouldn’t be selected and it would mean two to three hours lost, where they could have spent that time studying.”
Having seen for himself the impact it has had on the players and coaches, Shetty confirmed they will continue with the new rule for next season’s MGS Vision-Cup.
“Yes for sure it’s staying,” he said. “This will only be played at inter-school level because we have seen that parents are happy and so are the players and coaches. It’s a win-win situation.
“I got the thumbs up from the players and coaches and you could see that the overall standard of play went up. Every boy came into the match knowing they would be playing so all the hard work they have put in training wouldn’t be going to waste.”
He added: “I think one of the big things is that people have embraced the idea and certainly is adding value to it. With this idea of allowing all 14 players to play, it will only encourage the kids to continue playing and not give it up because they are not being selected.
“Some people may argue saying it’s only 11 players in a team and they have a point. But, at the end of the day, you have to engage with the child and make it interesting.”
It’s not the first time that Shetty trialled the rule in his Maxtalent tournament. In last year’s tour to Mumbai, the same idea was rolled out for their event and he said the feedback from players and coaches in India, convinced him to try it in the UAE.
“India is a big nation that loves cricket and with so many boys players, competition is certainly fierce,” said Shetty.
“But with this rule, it allowed players to play a role in a game and after hearing from players and coaches in India who participated in the tournament, was enough to go ahead with the idea in the UAE.”
