It was in 1977 that Kerry Packer envisaged a new look for the sport of cricket: a fast paced, action filled half a day that had colour and character. A fans cricket, if you like.
Fast forward to 2003 and the ECB decided that cricket needed a second shake up, thus the birth of Twenty20 cricket, a shorter, sharper 90 minute spectacle – a game for everyone to enjoy.
Cricket Australia has jumped all over the chance to increase publicity for the sport, becoming the first country to host a Twenty 20 international and now taking the KFC Big Bash national format to a whole new level. The Big Bash League (BBL), as it will be known, will debut in December with a completely new look.
After tampering with the 50 over version of the game last summer, CA have sent the state versus state concept out the window and opened up a whole new world that cricket in Australia hasn’t yet seen – a team in every state, including two in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Following the lead of their English and Indian counterparts, the Big Bash League is set to be just as big and rival both the Indian Premier League and the T20 County Championships.
Out with the just state versus state, in with the interstate. Local derbys and showcase games, two things that cricket hasn’t seen in a while with the new and improved T20 format, will become a reality and bring the crowds.
The team locations, names, colours and venues are listed below, one from each state and two from both NSW and Melbourne:
Adelaide Strikers – Blue – Adelaide Oval.
Brisbane Heat – Teal – Gabba.
Hobart Hurricanes – Purple – Bellerive Oval.
Perth Scorchers – Orange – WACA Ground.
Melbourne Renegades – Red – Etihad Stadium.
Melbourne Stars – Green – MCG.
Sydney Sixers -Pink – SCG.
Sydney Thunder – Electric Green – ANZ Stadium.
The Big Bash league is set to take the country by storm; capital cities will host these new sides with fans being able to be close to the action. In Melbourne games are to be played at both the MCG and Etihad Stadium, and in Sydney the SCG and ANZ Stadium will host the Sixers and the Thunder.
Cricket Australia has made a point to distinguish the Big Bash League from traditional forms of the game. New brighter colours have been adopted in order to keep away from those of the state competitions and names have been changed to give home to these sides within their respective cities – also to add some excitement to the sport.
Melbourne will play host to the Stars and Renegades. Victorians are looking forward to this competition as much as anyone else, another local rivalry to add to the many that are played out in this very state as well as the players that have been named for their respective teams. The Renegades have signed all-time T20 highest run scorer Brad Hodge as well as Andrew Macdonald and South Australian quick Shaun Tait – just some of the names that will head out in Renegade Red.
Their crosstown rivals the Stars have managed to sign the majority of Bushrangers players to their franchise including Australian T20 skipper Cameron White, David Hussey, Peter Siddle and West Australian Adam Voges.
The competition is sure to set the Australian cricket scene alight this summer. In with the new and improved as crowds are sure to flock to games right around the country. It all kicks off December – a T20 revolution.
Dyson Baker
Guest
Timmuh, yes i agree on point one, thats a editing error on my part. Point 2: There is nothing to say that the BBL cant be as big as the IPL, I never specifed wheather i was talking about TV and at the gate audiences. We obviously know mainly through Formula One that Australia Cant sell to a majority of the market in terms of Television rights. The walk up attendences though are already 4 times bigger than the English competition. As far as the IPL goes, we know how cricket mad that the Indians are, if we can rival their attendence figures (Currently between 25-45000) I see that as a win for the Sport of Cricket in Australia. Point 3: Demonstrates your clear lack of ability to take of a pair of Rose coloured glasses, you see the hate because are either; not at all a fan of cricket or, A "traditional" fan, to which I say T20 cricket is the evoulution of the game of cricket, if we had have stoped at computers that took up a city block we wouldnt have IPads. "cricket faithful" need to move with the times Soccer in its many forms has show that a wide aray of different codes can be derived from one single entity. Just as 50 over cricket did around 40 years ago, T20 cricket is the next stage of cricket development
Timmuh
Roar Guru
"Cricket Australia has jumped all over the chance to increase publicity for the sport, becoming the first country to host a Twenty 20 international" No. Australia did play in the first two T20 internationals, hosting neither. Remember the retro kits in Auckland, the first T20 international. "the Big Bash League is set to be just as big and rival both the Indian Premier League and the T20 County Championships" rival the IPL? Really? And maybe the A-League will rival the EPL. The BBL will struggle to make money at all, with Indian players banned from coming there will be zero TV rights in the biggest target market. We are destroying players Test preparation for something that won't do what it was supposed to do - tap into the Indian TV market. "The Big Bash league is set to take the country by storm" So far, all it has unleashed is a lot of hate, and I'm a proud shitstormer. I wouldn't hate it if they had kept the state teams, and if it wasn't placed so as to ruin Test preparation. Meanwhile, India will be playing a four day game while our players (execpt Clarke and Johnston, neither of whom should be in the team on form) are ruining their techniques.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
I'm going to say it now. By using made-up teams with players who wont be there next year, this is Australia's version of Sharjah. Condon Report, section 93 93. An important question in assessing the extent of corruption in international cricket is whether it mirrors malpractice in the domestic leagues and tournaments within the individual countries. My primary focus and my terms of reference relate to international cricket but I have sought to understand the potential risk to domestic cricket. A case can be made that if international players are prepared to sacrifice national pride and reputation by under- performing for corrupt reasons, at international level, they will be even more likely to carry out similar activities at club level. However, the most important factor would appear to be whether there is a betting market to place bets on fixed matches and occurrences within matches. From the work undertaken by my unit there is overwhelming evidence of a significant unlawful market place for betting on all international matches, wherever they are played in the world. The evidence in relation to an unlawful betting market place for club, county, state or other matches is patchy, anecdotal and not compelling. There is no room for complacency but international cricket remains the main arena for cricket corruption. http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/anti_corruption/condon-report.php
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
OK, but it really read like bad marketing-speak.
Dyson Baker
Guest
Titus, you are right in what you are saying but we need to move with the times, Test cricket audiences are lacklustre to say the least unless a series involves India, England, Australia or South Africa they struggle to pull crowds. I love test cricket aswell, i think it is the true test of character within the game but unfourtunetly cricket tragics like ourselves are for whatever reason becoming few and far between. T20 cricket is becoming more of a specialist game with alot of the Australian players only playing prodominetly in the 50 and 20 over matches.
Titus
Guest
I grew up in a strong Cricket culture, my great uncle, Jack Walsh, played professional cricket for Leicestershire in the 50's and still holds many records there(170 wickets in a season is still the record). One of my earliest memories was him teaching me how to play the straight elbow defensive shot. Everyone in my extended family could discuss cricket. To me cricket was cricket, it wasn't football or baseball. It was about being a gentleman, about skill and patience and art. It was about sitting all day in the sun, and enjoying the relaxed pace of the game, and if you have the time, doing it for 3 or 4 days. It was about tradition and community and identity. Test match cricket has to be the highest form of the game, it has to be what our cricketers aim to be good at. I can understand the need to make money, but if 20/20 becomes the pinnacle of the game, and our cricketers become a bunch of disrespectful sloggers, then the game of cricket and all its traditions ends here for me. The Australian National Football team doesn't represent Australia in Futsal and I think we should consider the same distinctions with cricket.
Dyson Baker
Guest
Ian. as much as it sounds too positive, there are people who actually enjoy cricket and enjoy the deceisions made in order to keep it popular to a younger, busier audience. The Big Bash League is the result of the increased popularity of the T20 form of the game and thats the way the game is moving, we have seen in India that attendences and TV audiences have hit sky high. Australia needs that kind of exposure for cricket, numbers over the last few years numbers have dropped both at games and on Television. For the record im not from Cricket Australia just support a great game.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
If they must persist with this drivel, can we get any guarantee that they won't be blasting out music and adverts during the match?
Nathan
Guest
Oh dear god, those names...
AdamS
Guest
A manufactured release about manufactured teams playing a manufactured game trying to manufacture some interest...
Atawhai Drive
Guest
My thoughts exactly, Ian. Is this a rewritten press release, or is it a thinly disguised original press release planted by someone from Cricket Australia? Whatever, it has no place on The Roar.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Did this get ripped off a press release ?
Joseph
Guest
My name wouldn't be pleasing to see on a cricket thread by some, so the minority can take ease as 20/20 isn't classed as cricket. But this BBL league is about to revolutionize "cricket" as we know it, can't wait! In with the new out with the old!!!! -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.