Cricket Australia’s arrogant decision to cancel the scheduled two-Test series against Bangladesh in August is not only hugely disrespectful to the Tigers but will also hinder the Australian Test team.
CA’s announcement last week was the continuation of their shabby treatment of low-profile teams Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, neither of whom have played a Test in Australia since 2003.
This 15-year drought was scheduled to end in three months but Bangladesh’s Test series in Australia has been cancelled because Cricket Australia thought it would prove a financial burden.
While CA released a statement claiming the cancellation had been a mutual decision with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the BCB chief executive has since described the situation as “really disappointing”.
Nizam Uddin Chowdhury told Reuters CA had informed the BCB the series was “not financially viable due to the off-season”.
If that statement is true it represents a pathetic cop-out by CA. They are one of the three richest cricket boards in the world and recently signed a monster $1.2 billion broadcast deal. CA could well afford to take a rare financial loss for the good of cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has received heavy flak in Australia for refusing to play a day-night Test in Adelaide this coming summer.
The BCCI has also been pilloried, and rightly so in this case, for their decision to omit most of their starting players, including captain Virat Kohli, from their one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.
Yet the BCCI also deserve high praise for hosting a match against the newest Test nation. Afghanistan only recently gained Test status yet India agreed to let them play their first-ever such match in India’s backyard. Meanwhile, Australia won’t even host matches against teams in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who have had Test status for eons.
It’s not just hosting which is the issue either – CA don’t like playing the lower-profile Test nations home or away. Australia haven’t played a Test against Zimbabwe in 14 years, and have played only two matches against Bangladesh in the past 12 years.
(AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
CA regularly claims it values Test cricket highly. If that was true then they would recognise the need for the development of teams like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and newcomers Ireland and Afghanistan. The most obvious way these teams can improve significantly is by playing against the top teams.
In reality, CA seems to view these lower-profile Test teams as a nuisance. It’s hard not to feel they’d happily play blockbuster series against England, India and South Africa on a loop, never again stooping down to interact with the commoner teams.
Even the obvious advantages to the Australian Test team weren’t enough to convince CA to fulfil their obligation to host Bangladesh. The rebuilding Australian side would have had a huge amount to gain by playing two homes Tests against the Tigers.
Australia have some very tough Test series over the next 16 months, with a tour against Pakistan followed by hosting the world’s number one Test team India, and then the Ashes in England.
In disarray after losing three players to the ball tampering scandal, a two-Test home series against a modest opponent would have been a perfect tune-up for Australia ahead of the series against Pakistan in October.
Australia’s overhauled top six, which has three new members, surely would have benefited greatly from having more time to gel. Playing on home pitches against Bangladesh’s limited pace attack would have been a prime opportunity for this batting line-up to build form and confidence.
Instead, they will be vaulted straight into the furnace in the UAE, where Australia’s batting line-up floundered on their last Test tour four years ago. If those batting struggles are repeated in October, Australia will enter the home series against India ripe for the picking.
Which makes it all the more confounding why CA canned the Tests against Bangladesh. They valued money over not just the interests of the game but over the interests of their own team.
Nathan
Guest
First time i have ever seen a Wu Tang Clan quote on the roar lol ..dollar dollar bill y'all!!
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"My theory was that CA just wanted to have a much larger break from hosting Test matches since the SAf dramas, keep the spotlight off the team for a bit longer." Dexter the word is that CA made this decision well before the ball tampering occurred but CA just didn't bother to let anyone know until recently.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
It's a good point Steve, if CA was genuine about wanting cricket to prosper and about wanting to pay respect to its full fanbase, it would regularly schedule series against lower-profile teams and host them in regional centres. I'm sure people in Cairns, Darwin and Canberra would love the chance to watch Australia play a Test against the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan or Ireland.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
You're spot on Basil. Obviously this is a guesstimate, but I would say at least 60-70% of Australians who would consider themselves a "cricket fan" barely follow the sport during the March-October "off-season". I reckon you'd be lucky to have 10% of fans who actively follow all of Australia's series across each year. Fortunately The Roar's readers include a lot of diehard cricket fans which is why we write about cricket year-round, never missing a single Australian series.
steve
Guest
They do and they should feel insulted but not as much as CA should be embarrassed by this decision. Why aren't games against teams like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc played in regional centres like Cairns etc or in the smaller Capital cities like Canberra or Darwin, even Hobart.?
Basil (the original)
Guest
Everyone on this forum agrees, but CA know that a massive portion of Aussie cricket fans are summer cricket fans that do not give a cracker about the game during the footy season. Yes, we are upset but the greater majority couldn't give a rats toss bag.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I agree Bush, given there's a dramatically larger cricket audience in Bangladesh than in the Caribbean I can't understand how under CA's policy - "Cash Rules Everything Around Me, Cream, Get The Money" - they would rather host the Windies than Bangladesh.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Cheers Geoff, it really sickens me the obsession CA has with money. As you say it seems too much money is never enough.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Bush there's still plenty for the bowlers in that Malahide pitch, particularly with the new ball which has done major damage in this Test, so if Ireland set Pakistan anything above 150 and use the new ball well they will be right in the match. Pakistan could panic and fall apart if they sense the risk of a humiliating loss after enforcing the follow on.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Ronan, Speaking of minnow test cricket, Ireland has fought back well in their first ever test the last day looks like it could be a cracker. Ireland lead by 130 odd and still have a recognised batsman at the crease and three wickets in hand. They should push it hard in the morning session; if they can set a target of 220 odd with two sessions to play, it could go down to the wire. Is it not better to try for a memorable win in your first test (and potentially lose) rather than draw and save face?
The Bush
Roar Guru
What I don't understand is why Bangladesh don't warrant a tour in Summer instead of the West Indies? I struggle to believe they could be any worse and the difference with Bangladesh is that they may well get better and better into the future (whereas the Windies are on a terminal decline). I understand not playing Zimbabwe, they are and have been a basket case for years. Their team is, to be frank, not up to test standard and it degrades the sport. But Bangladesh are not Zimbabwe.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Excellent piece Ronan, fully agree on all points. Not every single match or series need to be profitable in its own right. Test matches don't need to be canned because they aren't as profitable on a daily basis as T20 matches. All businesses have aspects/products which effectively subsidise other aspects. It's the sum of the parts that is important. Clearly a rebuilding Aus team could benefit from playing. And you're right about how all nations should take responsibility for the development of the game. Australia, India and England risk disappearing up their own orifices. It seems that too much money is never enough.
dynamite dave
Guest
Still have my hat from the 2003 tour by Bangladesh to cairns. When the series was announced, I started talking to all my suppliers/customers about scoring tickets to this. Had a group of 10 ready to go and prepared to pay for the whole test. Now we have nothing. I'm a businessman in Cairns. I get overlooked for the big events in the capitals because of distance and relative purchases.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Cancelled. After postponing the away series in Bangladesh by a couple of years. There is no time to reschedule before the Championship starts, and as they did it for purely financial reasons (and even admitted that this time) they wouldn't be looking at rescheduling even if there was time.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
@spruce - Thanks for the kind words which I may or may not deserve :) Notwithstanding that, no, I do not believe its the same thing. And honestly would I care if Root did not come with the England team to play India? There have been many series since the early 1950's when England has not always put out all its best players to play India. Without letting sentiment cloud our judgement, it is a fact that its more important to win against England and India is heavily dependent on Kohli to succeed there so he needs the prep. He may well fail despite that, but it wont be for lack of effort at least.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
Of course it is! I don't think India is being hypocritical here at all. As @bilo mentioned, at least India is hosting the Afghans and not concocting excuses to avoid it. What you also may not know is that until very recently, much of Afghan training and coaching for the senior team has been hosted by India near Delhi.
George
Guest
Pathetic and arrogant sums up CA under $utherland's watch.
JayG
Guest
Has it been cancelled or rescheduled? Though doing so without in-depth consultation with the BCB smacks of disrespect, perhaps it has only been rescheduled because of the timing and not because the opposite team is Bangladesh? I am trying hard to see CA's side of the picture here...
dangertroy
Roar Rookie
It's a shameful decision by Cricket Australia, especially in light of the massive windfall they've just had. If the decision was made long ago, I wonder if seven and Foxtel were aware that two of the matches they were bidding on were not going to be played. I understand that these matches aren't financially viable, but neither are A team tours or the shield. It's not all about dollars and cents. Treat them like a development game and try out a handful of new players.
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
Hard to disagree with this Ronan. It smacks of disrespect, both for Bangladesh and for Aussie Test cricket lovers. My theory was that CA just wanted to have a much larger break from hosting Test matches since the SAf dramas, keep the spotlight off the team for a bit longer, esp when ratings and attendances would be poor against the footy codes, which reflects poorly on CA. But the comments above saying this was decided a long time ago puts paid to my theory.