The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

What the 2019-20 summer of cricket should look like

Roar Rookie
21st July, 2018
Advertisement
The Big Bash League is a major talking points out of the new cricket TV rights deal. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)
Roar Rookie
21st July, 2018
16
4808 Reads

Cricket is a massive part of the Australian summer and sporting calendar.

This week the fixtures were released for the upcoming men’s and women’s Big Bash League seasons, but I have ideas to make the 2019-20 summer of cricket the biggest and best ever. More day-night Test matches need to be played – they’re the future of Test cricket.

The ICC Future Tours Programme says Australia will play New Zealand in three Tests and Pakistan in two Tests. I’d have three Test matches against each nation plus three ODIs and three T20s against each nation as well.

This is how I believe the 2019-20 international season should look.

Proposed 2019-20 men’s international season

Australia versus Pakistan
ODI – Sunday, 20 October 2019, in Sydney
ODI – Wednesday, 23 October 2019, in Hobart
ODI – Saturday, 26 October 2019, in Melbourne

Test – Thursday to Monday, 7 to 11 November 2019, in Canberra
Test – Friday to Tuesday, 15 to 19 November 2019, in Perth (day-night)
Test – Saturday to Wednesday, 23 to 27 November 2019, in Adelaide

T20 – Wednesday, 4 December 2019, in Brisbane
T20 – Friday, 6 December 2019, in Sydney
T20 – Sunday, 8 December 2019, in Melbourne

Advertisement

Australia versus New Zealand
T20 – Friday, 13 December 2019, in Perth
T20 – Sunday, 15 December 2019, in Adelaide
T20 – Tuesday, 17 December 2019, in Canberra

Test – Thursday to Monday, 26 to 30 December 2019, in Melbourne (day-night)
Test – Friday to Tuesday 3 to 7 January 2020, in Sydney (day-night)
Test – Saturday to Wednesday 15 to 19 January 2020, in Gold Coast (day-night)

ODI – Tuesday, 21 January 2020, in Brisbane
ODI – Friday, 24 January 2020, in Adelaide
ODI – Sunday, 26 January 2020, in Perth

Tim Paine

(Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Gallo Images)

Proposed 2019-20 women’s international season

Australia versus England
T20 – Tuesday, 4 October 2019, in Melbourne
T20 – Thursday, 6 October 2019, in Townsville
T20 – Saturday, 8 October 2019, in Brisbane

Australia versus South Africa
T20 – Wednesday, 29 January 2020, in Perth
T20 – Saturday, 1 February 2020, in Sydney
T20 – Monday, 3 February 2020, in Canberra

Advertisement

Australia versus Sri Lanka
ODI – Friday, 13 March 2020, in Melbourne
ODI – Sunday, 15 March 2020, in Adelaide
ODI – Wednesday, 18 March 2020, in Hobart
ODI – Friday, 20 March 2020, in Sydney
ODI – Sunday, 22 March 2020, in Brisbane

Australia women's cricket

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Big Bash League

Women’s Big Bash League
Earlier this year Cricket Australia confirmed the WBBL would move to a October to November schedule as a standalone tournament. The competition should run between Thursday, 13 Octoberm and Saturday, 14 December. Televised games should be played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The semi-finals should be scheduled for 11 and 12 December with the final played on 14 December.

Men’s Big Bash League
The men’s BBL should run between Wednesday, 18 December, and Sunday, 16 February. Under my plan games would be played only on Day 4 and Day 5 of the day-night Test matches. A Christmas Day game is also a must for the 2019-20 season. Every team should take at least one home match to a regional venue. The final would be played on the weekend before the Women’s World Twenty20 begins.

[latest_videos_strip category=”cricket” name=”Cricket”]

In my fixtures there are four day-night Tests. New Zealand would be the perfect opponent to play in the first ever day-night Test series. The Gabba misses out on a Test because I believe the Gold Coast should get a run at Test cricket. Traditional Boxing Day and New Year Tests would also be day-night fixtures for the first ever time.

Advertisement

One day-night Test is scheduled against Pakistan in Perth, with Adelaide and Canberra hosting the only two red-ball fixtures of the summer. Six ODIs and six T20s should be played. Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne have got one ODI match and one T20 match each. Canberra has the remaining T20 and Hobart has the remaining ODI.

The Australian women’s team also has more matches than ever before, with three T20s against England before the WBBL kicks off, three T20s against South Africa before the Women’s World Twenty20 and five ODIs against Sri Lanka a week after the Women’s World Twenty20 final.

This is an awesome proposed schedule for international cricket in Australia. It is something Cricket Australia should seriously consider.

Your thoughts, Roarers?

close