There’s only so long that Cricket Australia’s ideal can repel the bucketloads of BBL cash.
CA’s principle is that the two state-based domestic competitions – the four-day Sheffield Shield and the one-day cup – need to be retained to produce Australia’s Test players and limited-overs internationals.
Of course, it’s well founded. But it’s a belief that will cop searing cross-examination early next year when CA look to cash in on the booming BBL.
Channel Ten’s broadcast contract comes to end at the end of this season, which started last night when the Sydney Thunder pipped the Sydney Sixers in a last-ball thriller.
It’s been speculated that the next deal will bring in between $40 million and $60 million. Per season.
That’s serious coin; Channel Ten paid $100 million over five years for the current rights.
The BBL’s popularity can’t be challenged. In its seventh season, crowd figures and TV ratings have gone through the roof. The white ball starts flying and the fans lap it up. There’s music. Flame machines. Fireworks. Dancing.
Some have speculated that interest will plateau. But that argument has little foundation (the BBL claim that almost 30 per cent of all attendees have never been to a cricket game before). Plus, the women’s BBL is firing too.
If CA are keen to explore reaping an even bigger broadcast contract, why wouldn’t they entertain extending the BBL season? It could become more than just a summer holiday fling. There are already more games this season than last – up to 43 in 47 days. And BBL chief Kim McConnie has already talked about adding more teams, which naturally would mean a broader schedule.
If the players want to get among the millions, their union could be mobilised to lobby for a longer season.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
And why not? The one-day cup and Shield competition are loss-makers for CA. Their coverage has disappeared off TV screens. Why not shave one of them down. Or both?
The one-day cup has been squashed into only a few weeks already in October. So there’s not much fat to shave off there – although its timing is a bit incongruous given it doesn’t lead into any international one-day cricket.
How could a remodelled and reduced Shield season possibly look? For the current season, there were five rounds of matches played between late October and early December. They are perfectly placed to make sure Australia’s Test team is in form and raring to go.
But the five matches in the new year – after the BBL and before the IPL – to complete the full home-and-away season seem obsolete. Two more matches seem more appropriate – mostly to give a few Test players to chance to prepare for overseas series in March (Australia head to South Africa next year).
The Shield competition, regrettably, is now regarded as less about state pride and more about trialling players and playing conditions, so the inequality of state schedules if three matches were taken away would be a mitigating factor. Not all players would be exposed to different decks across the country, but the drop-in pitches have made the wickets relatively homogeneous anyway.
Or what about three-day Shield games?
Then the BBL season could run into most of February at least.
Sure, the Shield is important for the development of Test players. But when you follow the money trail, I’m not sure that ideal can survive when there’s such a stark financial landscape. There’s much more to be made and passed around. And if that’s what the players want, the ACA-CA pay battle a few months ago showed the players ultimately have the power to move the sightscreens whichever way they want.
It looks like a BBL game on Christmas Day is inevitable, which proves money can comfortably bulldoze tradition.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Yep - and the fact that it's the only form of cricket that's actually bringing in a new audience shouldn't be underestimated either. Can't rely on Tests and Shield games to grow the game. The amount of kids at BBL games is amazing. Which says to me - keep the competition to essentially run during the school holiday period.
Bakkies
Guest
For the players it is. Look at AB De Villiers' reaction after losing to NZ. Then you have the prize money.
Bakkies
Guest
Fine when you are around 36 and flushed out by a cricket board age policy. It is a lot different to preparing players that are realistically factored in to selection discussions for test and fifty over Cricket.
Bakkies
Guest
Even with the expected money from the tv deal they still have go to pay for those extra teams. Much like the 10s of millions that the ARU has thrown towards the Melbourne Rebels despite the extra tv money they have generated and the private ownership.
Kangajets
Guest
I think winning a series in India or an ashes in England is the pinnacle. I’m not convinced the World Cup is top of the list in cricket .
danno
Guest
Australia Crickets pinnacle is still the World Cup followed by Ashes. BBL is good for the action and giggles but is quickly forgotten the following day.
Peter85
Roar Rookie
I always liked the Monday-Thursday 4 day game with a one day game on the Saturday as the state based competitions. 10 rounds of this giving consistent cricket for selection pre and post Test season. I am guessing that the mix and match didn't go well with the players but it seems to be a good logistical fit. I am happy to expand teams in the BBL but don't want a longer season. School holiday length is perfect, maybe always finish on Australia Day. What I think the BBL has replaced is the extended international one day series. It feels like this is the real afterthought and probably should be a 6 match tour of 3 T20 and 3 ODI at the conclusion of the BBL to give each city a game.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Less is more with the BBL. 20/20 gets very samey after a while, there's only so many different ways the game can pan out. Running in sync with school holidays is the perfect length
Kangajets
Guest
Brian The 50 over Comp in Darwin in July sounds promising. Good idea However I would like to see fringe test players playing county cricket in England rather then one dayers.
Brian
Guest
It was interesting that CA hinted the Brisbane Test next year would be in January against Sri Lanka. It will make for an interesting January if Smith and Starc are playing Sri Lanka in front of no one before big drawing BBL night matches. I predict that following the 2018-19 season Australia's international season will end with the SCG test such that all players can play BBL from Jan 7th to early Feb. The easy solution around this will be to start the Shield season earlier by scrapping the ODI Cup. If necessary the ODI Cup can be a 2-3 week competition run in Darwin in July or else in its current format in March.
AREH
Roar Guru
Yep they definitely need to be careful - less is sometimes more with this stuff, the whole too much of a good thing etc. They really didn't need to add to the number of games in the last couple of seasons, and god forbid if they add to it any more in the future.
Don Freo
Guest
Players like Maxi Klinger who can't get a Shield game are released for Afghanistan T20. Perfect superannuation. Great co-existance.
bazza200
Roar Rookie
Well i hope your wrong BBL attracts lots of kids and families this works in school holidays maybe a final just outside of that is ok otherwise it won't work so well given games finish soo late if you go to a game. It should be able growing the game the BBL and making some money.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Agree with the less is more thing. One thing about the BBL is that it's this intense thing in the middle of summer. Make it longer and you lose that intensity. You can increase the size of the competition by running a lot more double headers and thus add a couple of extra teams without making the competition any longer, but I don't know that there really is the need to expand much more unless in the expansion you think you can get a lot more big foreign stars to come along, because it's already stretching the local talent pool as it is. As we saw last night, the Thunder are really scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit having batsmen like Patterson, Gibson, Rohrer making up a big chunk of their batting order, none of whom are really T20 players at all.
Naveen Razik
Roar Pro
I would bump One Day Cup to March and cram in a whole Shield season from Late August to Early December, 10 rounds with the possibility of a shield final during the gap week in the test schedule, ideally placed so a broadcaster could pick it up. The BBL has been in the sweet spot for comp length over the past few years, we'll see this season if the tournament feels overlong.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
T20 is limited in more than just the number of overs. You can't compare the unfolding drama and tactical complexity of a test match with the smash and grab style of T20. It really is the sugar hit of cricket. I like watching the odd game over the season, but struggle to maintain interest and by Feb I just wish it would all end. It might be wishful thinking but I hope that is an entree to real cricket, so those thousands who have never attended a cricket match before might be tempted to experience the more substantial versions of the game.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
You've got a point, but if you look at the crowds and TV figures it's not like they're declining as the season goes on. So what you were feeling probably wasn't reflected amongst most other BBL fans. Or if it was then they were still watching it. The other factor is the long term one. Kids love the BBL and drive them to play cricket themselves. That's going to result in a larger pool of players down the track and consequently it could well improve our test fortunes in a decade or 2. So it shouldn't be assumed that a bigger, more popular BBL will mean a worse test team.
Kangajets
Guest
10 teams playing each other once is 9 games each . but I think stretching it out an extra 2 weeks is risked with becoming stale . Sometimes less is more .
Bakkies
Guest
'Cricketers will always want to play cricket. T20 is great superannuation at the end of it all. They can and will co-exist.' They can't co-exist when they are clashing with schedules. South Africa already have their T20 comp well and truly done before their test season is in full swing.
Bakkies
Guest
It will breed a lot of resentment that's for sure. The board created the problem with plastic city based teams being setup and players allowed to sign contracts in states were they don't play their 50 over and Shield cricket. It particularly doesn't help Tassie and SA for their quest for a Shield title when they have key players playing interstate for over a month.