New MVP Launched for cricket season

New Zealand cricket fans will have a new way of measuring the performances of players in domestic cricket competitions with the launch today of a new player ranking system for the 2008/09 season.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) system was originally developed by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) in England. It is the newest benchmark in the game, for the first time allowing all aspects of a player’s game to be combined and giving him a ranking in relation to his peers.

The MVP will be promoted in New Zealand by the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) in association with New Zealand Cricket (NZC). Heath Mills, Executive Manager for the NZCPA is excited about the new initiative.

“Based on the successful MVP programme launched in England by the PCA in 2007, the system has been developed by players, for the players and is truly reflective of their view of the game – it is the players’ statistic.”

“We have worked closely with the PCA in England to secure the rights to the MVP system, and are confident its introduction will not only take fan and player involvement in the domestic season to the next level but that it is also the best indicator to date of a players overall performance and contribution to his team during the season,” he said.

The MVP works on a cumulative points system that rewards players for every run scored, every wicket taken and every catch held throughout the season. A player also achieves bonus points based on other criteria important to the outcome of the match.
 

An overview of the formula is:
 

Batting + Bowling + Fielding + Captaincy + Winning = Total MVP Points


Dimitri Mascarenhas, who will join the Otago Volts this season from Hampshire, says the MVP system has been warmly received by the players, causing a healthy rivalry and many debates in the dressing room.

“All the lads look at it to judge who is doing well,” he said. “The MVP is a really good platform to see personally how you are going.”

New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan says “Cricket is a game that requires players to be skilled at multiple disciplines, and for the first time the MVP system allows us to directly compare the value of each of these”.

“The MVP adds an extra dimension to traditional measures of success such as averages. It will be used to identify the overall domestic cricket MVP, but we will also drill down to find the MVP in each domestic competition, each team, each month and each season.”

“Obviously in the future the MVP has potential to influence key decisions such as annual awards and contracts, but the main benefits of the system are definitely for the players and the fans”.