The 2014-15 Australian domestic cricket season is underway, and is set to be filled with plenty of drama and action.
A Test series against India, a one-day Tri-series, a few T20 internationals and the cricket World Cup are all to be played in our backyard.
Still, domestic cricket fans aren’t happy.
As most of us already know, the average domestic match can at times struggle to draw in even a half-decent crowd. And most matches of the Matador One Day Cup are being shown live on television.
Though, despite Cricket Australia’s best efforts, the fans still aren’t happy. So, I would like to propose an idea.
Instead of hosting every tournament in either Queensland or New South Wales, why not share it around the country?
Hold the 2015-16 season in Victoria and Tasmania. But instead of having every game just at Bellerive Oval and the MCG, play the matches around the two states.
This would give fans that live in regional cities such as Bendigo, Ballarat, Bairnsdale, Ulverstone, Launceston and Burnie a chance to watch some of Australia’s best cricketers without travelling to the capital to watch a game.
The second and third-placed preliminary final should be played at Bellerive with the final inevitably going to the MCG.
For 2016-17 season, have the games shared across the Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory borders. Games could be played in places such as Alice Springs, Karrathra, Mount Gambier, Kalgoorlie and any other suitable locations.
Have the playoff semi-final match at the WACA, with Adelaide Oval hosting the final.
With this rough plan, fans – like myself – will stop complaining about eastern state dominance, and it could also grow the game a little more.
One small problem that might be faced is the television networks not being able to have good camera angles or coverage in the regional towns. This though, might be a good business opportunity for local scaffolding companies.
Also having this system in place would mean that you could only get to see your team playing a one-day match every few seasons. Which is a disappointing but fair outcome in my opinion.
So Roarers, what do you think? Is there anything that I missed that you think might be a problem? Or have you got a completely different plan? Let me know in the comments.
For twitter fans, you can follow me @Lachy7Doyle
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