Two reports, one in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph and the other on the Fox Sports’ website, on Thursday hinted at Cricket Australia’s desire to pursue expansion of the domestic Twenty20 Big Bash competition as early as next summer.
According to Malcolm Conn and Robert Craddock in the Tele, Gold Coast, Geelong, Canberra and Newcastle are all “in the running to have a Big Bash team as soon as next summer”.
But why?
Because the “reinvigorated Twenty20 competition continues to explode”, apparently. Quick, better call the bomb disposal squad to diffuse any further potential dangers, then.
Now, excusing the entirely separate (and ongoing) debate as to the exact value of T20 as a cricket format, is expanding the tournament really the smartest idea, particularly so soon?
Yes and no.
Most fans replying via the Tele and Fox comment lines suggest there isn’t enough depth to support two, three or four more teams at present.
It depends on what you think the T20 series is for, really. Is it supremely serious, top-flight cricket? Or just a highly-paid runaround for all concerned to give school kids on holidays something to watch during January? Probably the latter.
Dilution of talent? Not really a key issue if imports can be included in each team. Even from across the “ditch” in New Zealand. Or, be bold, brave and different and add to the current cap on internationals by giving every side the option of taking on a single International Cricket Council Associate or Affiliate player – you could have some of the best batsmen and bowlers from the likes of Ireland, Holland, Kenya and Afghanistan experiencing Australian conditions more often, possibly as a prelude to further one-day international tours by their native teams.
Incredibly, Cricket Australia’s Mike McKenna told Conn and Craddock that the Big Bash League wasn’t to be revamped into a city-based competition until 2013. That was news to me. Perhaps some extra thought could have gone into its formation then? Less silly names and shirt colours that don’t have much at all to do with each team would have been a start.
Melbourne Renegades in blue, Sydney Strikers in blue, Adelaide Reds in red, Perth Scorchers in tan-ish, dusty orange perhaps, Hobart Hurricanes (if they must) in predominantly Apple Isle green and the Brisbane Heat (if they must) in maroon and yellow. Enough said. Just about perfect, it would have been, too.
Anyway, also incredibly, planning was already taking place for a 10-team competition as part of a 20-year plan to take the Big Bash up to 2030 and beyond.
The two major options being considered during that timespan are, according to McKenna “more teams and more games”. More teams would mean more games, but more games shouldn’t be bolted onto the existing teams.
“Geelong, Gold Coast, ACT and Newcastle have populations which are attractive to us who aren’t served by international cricket,” McKenna said.
He may be right, but why not offer them a combination of international and domestic cricket. Why Canberra in particular hasn’t hosted more one-day internationals over the last decade remains a mystery well beyond the level of unfathomable to me.
Personally, I’m actually all for a strong, healthy and vibrant national T20 lueague. I’m also for fun, new ideas. I’m also for a degree of sanity and logic. If Cricket Australia is intent on turning every state and/or territory on to the joys of T20 cricket, then expansion is a reasonable step to consider. It’s how the administration goes about it that will make or break the competition.
There was probably some great merit in avoiding the two-team scenario in Melbourne and Sydney from the outset and placing two new sides from outside the main capital cities that already stage Sheffield Shield/Ryobi Cup matches. Geelong (or my preferred location, Bendigo) would have been fine within Victoria. Equally, Newcastle (as suggested already) or perhaps Gosford might have done the job in New South Wales. A joint venture between the local A-League, rugby league and cricketing identities could work a treat.
But the real kicker for me would have to be Canberra. The Capital Territory Comets were a brilliant addition to the old state one-day series back in the day and it was a shame to see them get forced out in favour of a strict six-side fixture set. Let’s bring the blue-and-yellows into the frame once more.
The Comets’ venue, Manuka Oval, is the new Hobart (or Cardiff) – the place that just needs an extra stand or two and some floodlights (which may be coming within the next couple of years, apparently) to give it extra calendar clout when it comes to attracting more games. Build it and they would come, as the old Field Of Dreams adage goes.
And then there’s the television side of things. Apparently Channel Nine can bid to show the Big Bash as early as two years away (the 2013-14 summer). Is it worthwhile? Provided it’s broadcast properly, in digital high definition – along with the Tests and World Series games – and not ruined by too much advertising, then yes.
And this is speaking as someone who still is on the fence about whether the Big Bash – in its new, spanglier format – is the right kind of presentation that T20 cricket deserves (or should have) in Australia.
Cricket Australia should sit back, wait a couple of years and reassess things in 2013. Maybe give a window of sorts to the tournament – around the majority of the Test series each summer, perhaps tied in more closely with the one-day international side of the calendar during mid-January to late February, but that discussion is for another day.
I suppose expansion talk is all well and good, but the proof comes with the practical, logistical side also making sense. Having invested so much in the re-branding the T20 competition this year, Cricket Australia wouldn’t want to press the even-faster-forward button too early by mistake and cause its Big Bash to become an equally Big Crash.
JamesP
Guest
Here is the link for potential Manuka Oval redevlopment...I reckon for for option 2 and install some flood lights too. 20k capacity http://www.manukaoval.com.au/about/options_for_future_development.php AFL can chip in a bit as well. 400k people in ACT + Quenbeyan. its a no brainer for mine Newcastle is a BIG problem - there number 1 cricket ground is a disgrace. http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/newcastle-lacking-for-big-bash/2418587.aspx?page=3 Interesting there a few comments from Newcastle residents asking for AFL money! Maybe another expansion target after GWS :)
JamesP
Guest
Les is already worried. I also posted this on another thread http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/les-murray/blog/1088873/A-League-Big-Bashed
turbodewd
Guest
Syd and Melb shud only have 1 team. Replace them with teams in Auckland and the Gold Coast. If they are prepared to have 10 teams throw in Canberra and Newcastle.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Its depressing but lets be honest; T20 is the ONLY format of the game that can be reliably attended by working folk. Its three hours and usually plays at the WACA from 6-9pm, so you can quite literally head there after clocking off at 5 and be back home before you need to hit the hay. With ODIs you're still having to either play everything on the weekends which constricts the competition or else force people to clock up their leave time. We'll burn leave time for international tests, but domestic ODIs? Gimmicky schmmimicky, when it really boils down to it, its all we really have available to us.
sheek
Guest
Cattery, If the BBL maintains these figures for 3 consecutive seasons, then I'll take notice. I remain deeply suspicious of just how serious CA is about promoting BBL longtime. Or whether this is just a money grab. The garish colours & idiotic team names don't have any ring of permanency to them. They're purely gimmicky. And are the fans coming in droves because they "really" care about the cricket, or is it just a novelty factor? The IPL support base has fallen. The novelty has quickly worn off. This can be partly explained by the IPL no longer holding centre stage by itself. Other nations are introducing their own formats. Plus the massive loss of overseas stars. I think T20 has its place Cattery, but I remain highly suspicious if the T20 vehicle is the real deal, or merely a novelty to be exploited while its there. As usual, time will tell..........
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Sorry Sheek - the numbers are far, far too big to suggest we're talking about a fly by night phenomenon. And this is the thing to consider - T20 has been treated with contempt by CA and broadcasters over the last few years. I refute anyone's suggestion that this is a marketing phenomenon - the reverse is true - people have voted with their feet, eyes and wallets despite the fact that the game has been treated with utter contempt until now. If the game gets treated with even a modicum of respect, as is gradually starting to happen - then we are talking about a competition that is here to stay.
sheek
Guest
Ah Cattery, "I don't understand why people remain skeptical - the numbers are big people - very big". You would be hopeless in war Cattery, you would fall for the first sucker punch, the first feint, that came your way. Time for a cliche break - one swallow doesn't make a summer..........
Jeff Dowsing
Roar Pro
Like the NBL in the 1990's, the sizzle people are being sold has a limited life span. Once the novelty fades people will realise all that's left is an overcooked, tasteless sausage. I'm not against T20, I reckon it's a great format. I just rail against unnecessarily dumbing down the sport as CA have done. And in the process doing the national team no favours.
Redb
Roar Guru
Based on CA figures, the BBL audience is 50-50 men and women with a large number of families at games. It is too narrow to suggest cricket lovers don't watch, the pay tv ratings illustrate they do. Test cricket is about 60-40 men and women.
Jeff Dowsing
Roar Pro
Problem is that whilst T20 might revert to a club based game, it will always be pulling on international guns for hire to draw the big crowds. So how can the other forms of cricket remain viable when they no longer have a decent pool of elite players to pick from, too many being either engaged in bash for cash or sidelined by injury from too much cricket? Consider more than 40 players have represented Australia over the past 2-3 years. Sometimes we're down to our 4th XI cricketers. The riddle which cricket can't solve is that so many resources are being put into selling T20 in order to fund the traditional forms of the game that ultimately what was a means to an end has become the end.
formeropenside
Guest
I dont know many pre-existing "cricket fans" who were dreaming of this BBL. I think even CA will make it clear the BBL is not aimed at existing "cricket fans" but rather at ladies and young children.
mela
Guest
I thought IPL rocked but, this BBL has blown me apart, literally. This is the next level of Cricket, the cricket fans always dreamt of. I have always been a big fan of the Australian domestic cricket, and the quality it generates, and therefore knew that only this nation could produce something as exciting as BBL.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
20/20 turns cricket into the same kind of sport you can chill out for the afternoon without wasting the whole day. if ratings persist like this, then FTA would be mad not to bid for it when it can. Cricket has always been the nations great Sports Unifier. Sports nuts, be the League, Union or AFL generally fall into line with cricket season. Tests were too long for the casual observer and even ODIs literally take the whole day. 20/20 changes that, its not much longer than a football match, and so fits nicely onto tv, and can be scheduled easily. Morever with cricket behind it, and state cricket shareholders in the teams at present, theres no ground issues to negotiate. If the Bash season is extended next year, the A-league is going to lose a lot of those casual sports people looking for stuff to watch. With that in mind, its not so much a threat to the A-league as it is to their hope of getting big money for tv rights, particularty on FTA where cricket has been a summer staple for years, and soccer hasnt had a lookin for some time. Current tv ratings have the bash miles ahead I believe - and they are both exclusively paytv. If theres one national team that can take on the Socceroos for popularity, its the Australian Cricket team. Its all such a long call, but Cricket has great market power here, greater than probably any other sport because of its national reach, and huge public awareness.
LT80
Roar Pro
I've been loving the big bash, and I think the change to club sides was the right move. State based sides are ok for relatively infrequent representative matches, but don't really work for a proper league. One team per state is too limiting, and don't reflect where the population lives. I certainly agree that the names are by and large pretty stupid. What's wrong with just calling the teams, Brisbane, Sydney, West Sydney etc and then letting nicknames develop over time - which is how most footy clubs ended up with their nicknames. Expansion would be good, Canberra and Gold Coast would seem the logical choices. Geelong could be an option in time, but given Victoria already has 2 sides, I think it's 3rd in line. Newcastle obviously has the population, but no suitable venue at the moment. Perhaps some NZ sides could enter - Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington? They would bring their own player pool so wouldn't dilute the existing sides.
Gleeso
Guest
I'm a former Territorian and would love to see it, but an NT team is completely unviable. Cricket in Darwin is played in the dry season which is the southern winter and football is played in the wet season during the Big Bash. Marrara Oval during the time the Big Bash is on would be a quagmire from the footy and Messers Duckworth and Lewis would love it because a tropical downpour hits the place every evening. Alice Springs plays cricket during the southern summer but it's a town of 25,000 which makes it fairly unlikely. Not gonna happen. As for the Canberra Comets...it would be great to get Brad Haddin to captain them as someone who played in the original team. Maybe with the addition of Nathan Lyon and Michael Bevan as a coach there could be a real local flavour to the team.
Gleeso
Guest
Mate, I'll give you credit, at least you've made an attempt at being slightly impartial...which is more than I can say for the Roar commentators in recent weeks. And as for age...I reckon I might beat you on that one...I've been watching cricket since the late 70s and this has been one of the most exciting times for the sport. I'm overjoyed to see my young son and daughter get into the Big Bash and see the interest spread to test cricket where they can't miss a ball of it. You might think the names and colours are stupid but 440,688 people at an average of 18,362 a game to date don't seem to mind. Not to mention the 300,000 watching each game on pay-TV.And if you want stupid and illogical foundations for sporting teams...how about any rugby code...based in Melbourne. I think the Big Bash warrants expansion over the next couple of seasons and this is why:- IHobart is a prime example:- you might think the name and colours of the team are silly...but try telling that to the almost 10% of that city who turn up to a sell-out game. Hobart is smaller in population to Newcastle, Gold Coast and Canberra and slightly larger than Geelong. Adelaide and Perth are also smaller cities with loyal following of the new teams. *Geelong is a sporting town, despite being small. They average 20,000 at Simonds Stadium every Cats game. The Geelong public have been keen for a Big Bash team. No doubt the city will get behind a local team. Simmonds Stadium hosted a Big Bash game in 2009 with a crowd of 12,327. The facility is ready and only requires a drop-in pitch. *I remember the days of the Canberra Comets, and like you, I thought it was a shame to see them go in what was a backward step. It's a joke how this nation's capital has been treated cricket-wise. Manuka Oval is a good facility and an upgrade with light towers is planned. If a T20 team was to start there the ACT Government could possibly fasttrack the project like it did with the Narrabundah Ballpark prior to the inaugural ABL season. *Newcastle is more than twice as big as Hobart (546,788) and is the 7th largest city in Australia. they are parochial sports fans and are crying out for a cricket team. The problem with Newcastle is the lack of a decent facility, however with possible investors like Nathan Tinkler, who knows what might be possible with a Newcastle franchise. *The Gold Coast-Tweed area is the 6th largest population centre in the country (approaching 600,000). All Gold Coast Stadium needs is a drop-in pitch and from all accounts would be a great place to watch cricket. A Gold Coast team would also proviide a local derby element with the Brisbane Heat. As for format, I don't see a problem with playing 5 tests (don't think Hobart warrant one) in Nov-Dec-Jan with the last test at New Years in Sydney as in previous years. Sheffield Shield would be played throughout the majority of the test series. This will free test players up for most of January and into February. In February, I wouldn't mind seeing a T20 tri-series between Australia, a test playing nation and a minnow (Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands). I would give the minnow a 4-day first class match at Hobart against Australia A. This would raise the profile of the minnow country and expose it to greater first class competition. I also think a small State-of-Origin T20 series might be an idea. As the format is dying a natural death... I would ultimately like to see the 50-over domestic cut and a 3 game international ODI series held for postarity.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I don't understand why people remain sceptical - the numbers are big people - very big. It's a numbers game, and with FTA knocking on the door, CA would be mental not to make hay while the sun is shining. Canberra could assemble a competitive team tomorrow if need be, and would sell out Manuka for the whole Summer, no problems at all. As for a 10th team, take your pick - the other 3 mentioned are all worthy candidates and could do it as well, with both Geelong and gold Coast having the facilities (not sure about Newcastle), without needing to spend a cent. Yes, the season is starting to get a bit congested, CA have to look after the players - on the other hand, you go up to 10 teams, and there are a stack of fringe players there that normally wouldn't have a professional contract. Also, things will sort themselves out naturally - T20 will become purely a club based game - tests will remain, and one dayers can be played at international and state level - the top tiers of cricket don't need to touch T20, leave it as a club game - that's the whole point of T20, getting interest in club games.
Jeff Dowsing
Guest
So let me get this straight. A competition where such hurriedly contrived teams were rushed out ahead of schedule has a 20 year plan? 20 years!!! Where cricket sits right now you'd be hard pressed coming up with a 2 year plan. I think the NBL is a cautionary tale worth CA's attention. Alas, like so many leagues here, the BBL is set to make the same mistake of quantity over quality and getting ahead of themselves. May I suggest Comedy Australia stop imbibing whatever substances inspired these illogically conceived franchises and leave the 20 year plans to NASA and their Mars program. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
James
Guest
I wouldnt add new teams yet, i would expand the timeframe of the comp so it runs for another 1-2 weeks, golden opportunity missed to have the return melbourne derby at etihad and sydney derby at the scg...so plenty of room for growth in both crowds and tv numbers...but i'd hold out on adding new teams for now.
Ben Carter
Roar Guru
Hi Jason - totally agree. If Cricket Australia does insist on this new format, then Canberra's got to be the next place for a team, no doubt.