Aussie cricketers hope their stats survive massive data change
There are fears the move could impact almost 20 years' worth of stats.
Cricketers of Australia, consider yourselves warned. Unless you act quickly, there's a risk the story of your eight-fa the day you woke up in your car after an all-night bender is about to become unprovable.
And you know that time you put on a 126-run last-wicket stand with your useless No.11 to beat the Commercial Hotel Wild Boars? Confirmation of that unforgettable feat could also soon vanish.
'NOT A GOOD IDEA': Darren Lehmann lashes Aussie plan for Ashes series
'A BIT DIFFERENT': England great's radical David Warner plan for Ashes
WOW: Candice Warner fires back after 'cringey' swipe from Mitchell Johnson
The MyCricket website has been the go-to Bible for cricketers around Australia since 2005/6, containing scorecards, results and player stats from Saturday morning juniors and reps to park cricketers and all the way up to first grade level.
Many a late-night embellishment has been brought undone by a quick fact check on MyCricket. It's also been a vitally important tool for overseas agents looking to recruit Australian players during the northern hemisphere summer.
But from the end of August, club and associations have been told access to the MyCricket website ends.
Aussie cricket world's concern over new system
The controversial PlayHQ system, which Cricket Australia introduced last year amid much anger from scorers and users alike, promises a "solution will be available for historical result entry in the future".
These include grade cricket stats charting the rise of some of our current Test stars, including the likes of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc. The MyCricket app will remain but has limited functionality compared to the website and won’t allow users a 'deep dive' into specific stats.
Play HQ insists all data will "definitely be retained" and there is no reason for concern.
But leading cricket statistician Adam Morehouse, who has scored at international and first-class level, remains worried. "There is a genuine fear in the cricket community there could be a massive data loss of close to 20 years' information when the MyCricket site closes on August 31," he told Yahoo Sport Australia.
"With it being the off-season, many would not even know this closure is being planned. Even if the MyCricket app remains, it's unlikely to have the functionality that the website has in terms of being able to deep dive into the scorecards and statistics.
"The app isn't as user friendly as the website."
Do you mean my 63* in 2016 will be forever forgotten
— James Bayliss (@jimmybaylo) May 10, 2023
When you told me you had a century I couldn't remember one so I took your word for it... the foolery is already working before MyCricket goes down
— Jaiden Popowski (@jaiden_popowski) May 10, 2023
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
