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Finding balance with the Big Bash

Hurricanes captain George Bailey (centre) reacts with players after winning the men's Big Bash League cricket match between the Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes at the Gabba in Brisbane, Wednesday, January 10, 2018. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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19th January, 2018
10

The Big Bash continues to go from strength to strength. Or so it seems.

Crowd attendance has grown from about 15,000 spectators per game for the 2012-13 season to a touch over 30,000 last season. And with Optus Stadium soon to become the home ground for the current champs in the Scorchers, attendance figures are likely to rise again.

The 60,000-seat facility monsters the antiquated WACA that holds a paltry 25,000.

The tournament continues to grow it’s TV audience too. The average audience for the 2014-15 season was 943,000 and only a season later it was 1.13 million – an 18 per cent increase.

Channel Ten’s contract ends this season and there’ll be fierce competition for the rights of BBL08 and beyond.

But to expect this growth to continue is wishful thinking. The statistics show a plateau – and even a slight dip – in attendance and TV audience numbers for this season. Though, we’ll have to wait until the season’s end to have a more accurate comparison given the difference in fixtures.

Cricket Australia seems to think that expanding the competition is the way forward. Though this is most definitely shortsighted – not just for the tournament itself but for Australian cricket at large.

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This season includes ten regular fixture games per team – up from eight compared to previous seasons. A consequence of this is a greater dichotomy between the dominant and the struggling sides. This means more dead-rubbers and games that fizzle rather than ignite.

Cricket relies on the contest and when that’s lost it becomes nothing more than people chasing a ball around an oval.

Also, the BBL detracts from the other formats of the game. Already the domestic one- and four-day competitions have been pushed to the periphery of the Australian summer and even the international fixtures lose some of their shine.

What message is Cricket Australia sending? Their words speak of the importance of maintaining the tradition of the game but their actions are quite contrary. It’s no coincidence that Australia hasn’t unearthed any genuine gems for the longer format of the game – particularly when it comes to batting.

The Big Bash League holds an important place in the Australian summer. But it needs to remain a compact competition to retain its impact.

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