By now we should have all got a little more accustomed to the new Big Bash League, introduced for the 2011-12 domestic cricket season in the hopes of creating a competition that increases revenue and audience appeal for the game in Australia.
I will admit that before the start of the season, I was firmly on that bandwagon with many other critics, scratching my head at as to why we really needed to introduce regional city-based teams instead of having one to represent every state.
Seeing Warnie parading around the MCG, promoting the BBL, caused me even more reason for concern. Cricket Australia really had gone too far this time.
There was also the matter of having to decide who to back when the Sixers and Thunder, in their respective colours of pink and lime green, were announced as the teams to represent Sydney.
This was the point where I was going to just give up on the Twenty20 and turn to the ladies bowls action on the ABC for the remainder of the summer.
However, a few mates who were insistent in seeing Chris Gayle belt a six or two at the SCG talked me into going to the first Sydney Thunder game, held at ANZ Stadium.
Let me say it wasn’t an experience to remember.
A meagre crowd of 11 000 people showed up, and such a magnificent stadium like that deserves a much better attendance. While there was a sense to me of anticipation, there never seemed to be any willingness to want to get behind the home boys.
Chris Gayle’s blinder of game, scoring a century from 51 balls indeed grew a cheer. But it just seemed more forced then a natural admiration for the star player of your home town team.
But given the on-field standard and the effort the players put in to try and get the crowd involved, I thought giving this another chance was worth it. It was definitely the right decision.
Heading to the stadium on Friday night for the second game against the Renegades, it was already clear that other fans had also got something out of the first game and too were excited about going back for a second dose. Fans were now more involved pre-game, donning lime green body paint, large straw hats, and even, for one very vocal group in my bus, having ago at making up a team song for the Thunder.
While 18,731 in an 80 000 seat venue isn’t exactly cause for bragging rights, the atmosphere was electric when compared with the first match. It already seems that positive word of mouth has been spreading, with the latest crowd figures from other venues around the country also up. The WACA attracted 2500 more than its first home match, Adelaide was up a whopping 16,000 from its first week, and the Sixers attracted 15,000 more to their second match of the season then in week one.
Add the strong pay television ratings that have been present since the first week of competition, and it looks to me that the BBL is already looking to be a very good way to strengthen domestic cricket and revenue overall for cricket in this country.
It’s only a shame that they don’t broadcast some of the other matches from around the country on free-to-air television, I’m sure it would make for good viewing over the summer before the league kicked off in march.
Hopefully everyone gets behind their own team as well and a sense of passion that has slightly started developing in my case. Two months out of every year for now on I can look forward to a Twenty20 competition that is showing that it is really trying to connect with the Australian public on a ground level, rather than just the corporate penny pincher that everyone initially took it for.
Personally, I can’t wait for the next match when the Thunder and Sixers light up ANZ stadium for the Sydney derby on January 8.
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