by Twenty20 changed the pace of cricket, so it is fitting that the sport is going out of time.
In Australia, the BBL final between the Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat at the SCG is sold out but three key players will be missing as they have already left for commitments in the UAE ILT20.
World Test Championship contenders South Africa are sending a weak side to New Zealand for a red-ball series next month, as it clashes with their new domestic T20 SA20 series.
And some believe the crowded schedule has undermined the performance of England’s cricketers, as evidenced by their showing at last year’s 50-over World Cup in India when they finished below Afghanistan.
As more and more investment is made in shorter domestic competitions, the calendar is being squeezed.
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The original and most influential T20 competition, the Indian Premier League (IPL), is the benchmark for player wages, catching the eye of even the most dedicated international players.
Australian bowler Mitchell Starc set a new record at the latest IPL auction, fetching A$4.4m bid from Kolkata Knight Riders.
In comparison, the BBL pays its top import, “Platinum”, less than a tenth of Starc’s potential draw.
But the BBL is no match for the IPL, which has its own March-April window in the calendar well and truly locked.
Instead the Australian championship is facing pressure from an explosion of franchise tournaments around the world: the UAE’s ILT20, South Africa’s SA20, and even the Abu Dhabi T10 – all well-funded tournaments based in and around the Australian summer on him.
Heat captain Colin Munro and teammate Sam Billings, and the Sixers’ James Vince – all Platinum players – abandoned the BBL two weeks before Wednesday night’s final to play in the ILT20.
But Alistair Dobson, BBL general manager at Cricket Australia, says the competition can still compete with other leagues, even if they offer more pay.
“Ultimately, our strength is to combine truly competitive rates of pay with the best experience players can have playing cricket around the world in front of big crowds, fun crowds, and venues great in great conditions, and enjoying the best of the Australian summer. motion,” says Dobson.
“We think we’re in really good shape.”
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Some people doubt his vision. One player’s agent, who requested anonymity, says the BBL cannot pay enough to attract the kind of international talent that would encourage higher international broadcasting revenue.
“It’s a third rate competition for international players and the best of them will never come – and the broadcast fees will remain poor – unless and until we pay enough to get those players to travel to Australia for over a month of playing games to defend. of the year they would rather rest or get more money to play with,” says the agent.
Top players’ salaries increased from $420,000 this season, up from $340,000 last year, but it still wasn’t enough to convince some players to play even after being selected by teams.
English striker Harry Brook, who was taken by the Melbourne Stars with the second pick in the latest draft, withdrew a month before the tournament began. Draft pick No. 1 last summer, the other Englishman Liam Livingstone, also out at the last minute.
But Dobson believes the league is moving in the right direction. This season has been reduced from 61 to 44 games and the average crowd has increased by more than 4,000, to around 21,000 per game.
Free-to-air broadcasting partner Channel Seven is also happy with the product. Its head of network sports, Lewis Martin, says the schedule change meant “higher stakes and more do-or-die games”.
“The BBL brand is at an all-time high and it’s showing massive viewership throughout the regular season and finals, regardless of who’s playing each night,” says Martin.
On Saturday and Monday, the BBL finals came close to Channel Nine’s prime evening tennis session ratings at the Australian Open, according to OzTAM VOZ, with a large share of viewers on the Seven streaming platform.
But some TV markets are doing better than others. Channel Seven reported audience growth in the quoted capital two weeks ago, but only mentioned Brisbane (24%) and Melbourne (2%) in its release.
Internationally, Star India acquired seven years of broadcast rights for Australian cricket in 2022 at a reported cost of $360m. The deal covers the BBL and WBBL, but its main focus is India’s tour of Australia next summer, which includes the first five-match Test series between the two sides since 1991-92.
Dobson is happy with where the BBL is in the calendar, and is confident that the tougher schedule and uptick in crowds have set the stage for a new period of growth, which will help keep the league competitive until further notice. international.
Related: Josh Brown’s 41-tonne powers Brisbane Heat to Big Bash final
While the international market for high-level players has attracted a lot of media attention, Dobson says the BBL’s appeal in always.
But Dobson signals that changes are in the works to make the BBL more attractive to players. After the final, the league will enter into a consultation period regarding reworking rules. Longer contracts and a reworked draft will be on the table.
Despite seeing a revolution in cricket since taking over in 2019, Dobson says the BBL’s place in Australian cricket has not changed.
“Crowds, full of children and families, enjoying the best of the Australian summer … I think as a way to connect with the game and bring new viewers and fans into the game, it’s that’s why the Big Bash is so important to Australian cricket. .”
