Big Bash Future

Mr Taswegian

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I'm interested to know what people think needs to be done to breathe life back into the competition after record low crowds to start this season.
 

Coops93

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Could the record low crowds be somewhat due to it being an Ashes season and interest in test cricket is higher than it otherwise would be?


I'd suggest marketing has been awful for the BBL, I didn't even know the first game was happening until the day of and I saw it by accident looking at Cricbuzz lol.

As for making it more interesting itself, getting the national players playing would be a good start. Seeing Cummins bowl at Warner for example would be excellent, though I know that's difficult given the play the Big Bash during the tests.
 

Fork n Hell

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Mar 7, 2018
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I'm interested to know what people think needs to be done to breathe life back into the competition after record low crowds to start this season.
shorten the comp back to like it was before they got too greedy, and it needs more top international stars as well. it could do without all the bloody Power surge, x- factor, bash boost crap as well. i don't even know what that s**t means.
 

eltrain

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Really needs to be scaled back to a school holiday only comp. Kick it off on New Years Eve and get it wrapped up by the end of January at the latest. However I really think the novelty factor of has worn off and I'm not sure having bigger stars would make a massive difference.

One thing I've really started missing is the ODI Tri-Series over January, I think CA could do worse than giving that another go (ensuring it is broadcast on FTA of course). Scale back the ticket prices and the fun police to get the crowds and atmosphere back. With the amount of opposition fans that usually flock to games in most Australian cities nowadays I don't think neutral games would be a huge problem, particularly with the value of TV rights for the comp in the subcontinent.
 

Coops93

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The long season definitely would have an impact on crowd numbers. If you know there's only a handful of games they matter more as there's less chance you can make up for them later in the season, also with the fewer games there's fewer opportunities to go to a game so you make the most of the chances that are there.
 

Coops93

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One thing I've really started missing is the ODI Tri-Series over January, I think CA could do worse than giving that another go (ensuring it is broadcast on FTA of course). Scale back the ticket prices and the fun police to get the crowds and atmosphere back. With the amount of opposition fans that usually flock to games in most Australian cities nowadays I don't think neutral games would be a huge problem, particularly with the value of TV rights for the comp in the subcontinent.
I've thought about that too recently, but a problem with is it you need to have 3 genuinely competitive teams. If it's 2 A grade teams with 1 B grade team then it's not very interesting.

I suppose they could try to get NZ on board and have an Aus, NZ & India/England/SA for the 4/5 test series when only 1 team travels here and then have Australia and the teams playing the 3 & 2 test series (The Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies sort of series) in those years as they will both be here the same summer.
 

eltrain

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I've thought about that too recently, but a problem with is it you need to have 3 genuinely competitive teams. If it's 2 A grade teams with 1 B grade team then it's not very interesting.

I suppose they could try to get NZ on board and have an Aus, NZ & India/England/SA for the 4/5 test series when only 1 team travels here and then have Australia and the teams playing the 3 & 2 test series (The Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies sort of series) in those years as they will both be here the same summer.
Yeah I think something along those lines is how you would have to work it. I could see an Australia, NZ and IND/ENG/SA/PAK combination work really well. Sri Lanka and West Indies series would need some further thought, and yeah you wouldn't want NZ here every year either.

Still, I reckon any sort of tri series is far more interesting than a bilateral limited over series.
 
Crowds in general are down across all sports. Even pre-lockdown this year the AFL crowds (in Melbourne particularly) were absolutely abysmal.

BBL is the highlight of most summers from a competition point of view given India are the only side that would mount a challenge to our test side. Id look to get the tests out of the way and have the international players focusing on big bash for at least 75% of the tournament. Seven have done a horrendous job of promoting the competition (it was flying under 10). Cricket Australia really need to get off their arse in promoting it more too and gaining more sponsorship in order to increase player salary and attract a higher calibre of import
 
May 20, 2014
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6 teams and 10 games each so everyone plays everyone home and away would be the best format. Not enough local or international talent for 8 teams. If you disband the Thunder and Renegades it improves the quality of the other sides. The Stars can sign Khan instead of the bloke from Zoom, someone else can sign Hales instead of insert county hack X, plus it spills Finch, Marsh, Richardson, Khawaja, Sams, Sangha etc out to the other teams.

When the BBL started they pretty much had first call on the available internationals but with all the other comps popping up there is competition for them and easier dollars elsewhere. Gayle got ran out of the league here while the owners of some of the sides overseas probably pay for the coke and hookers for the players.
 
I cannot remember them ever being this low TBH.
It's never started as early as it has this season.

The only other time it's kicked off in the first week of December was BBL|02, the lowest attended season in the competition's history.
 
The format was so much better when it started a couple of weeks before Christmas and finished end of January, with 35-43 matches total

They should revert the Test format back to the first Test being late November so the SCG finishes the summer in early January. Then have a couple of weeks where our best cricketers can join the Big Bash for the back half of the season and finals.

ODIs and other stuff can start after the Big Bash finishes and run through February, or in early November, or both

ODI/T20I series: Early November
Tests: Late November to Early January
Big Bash: Mid-December to Late January
ODI/T20I series: After Big Bash

Slot Shield and Marsh Cup around the rest of the fixtures

On top of that get rid of confusing gimmicks like the X-factor sub, but keep the amount of international slots at 3 (or more). Also introduce DRS so the horrible standard of umpiring can at least be improved through tech
 
Last edited:
Aug 27, 2014
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I'm interested to know what people think needs to be done to breathe life back into the competition after record low crowds to start this season.
It's T20 cricket. This is it's life.
Interesting for all of five minutes for highlights but very disposable form of the cricket.
 

Jamurp

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The league was absolutely flying a few years ago when it was on Channel 10, 80-90k crowd on New Years day for a domestic cricket match? Crazy.

CA got greedy and extended the season, then that horrendous rights deal with 7/Fox killed it even further.

The talent just isn't there, it certainly was when the league was peaking, but now the better players would rather play in leagues like the BPL where they can get paid the same/more for less work. The salary cap needs adjusting in order to try and bag some stars for each side again.

Shorten the comp, and start it just before Christmas.

Get rid of the gimmicky crap.

Honestly feel like CA have already done the damage though, it'll never be as popular as it once was sadly, but perhaps it can get back closer to what it was.

I still can't get over how bad that TV rights deal was, CA hemorrhaged the long term future of the game for short term gain, was just a really poor choice.
 

Coops93

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The league was absolutely flying a few years ago when it was on Channel 10, 80-90k crowd on New Years day for a domestic cricket match? Crazy.

CA got greedy and extended the season, then that horrendous rights deal with 7/Fox killed it even further.

The talent just isn't there, it certainly was when the league was peaking, but now the better players would rather play in leagues like the BPL where they can get paid the same/more for less work. The salary cap needs adjusting in order to try and bag some stars for each side again.

Shorten the comp, and start it just before Christmas.

Get rid of the gimmicky crap.

Honestly feel like CA have already done the damage though, it'll never be as popular as it once was sadly, but perhaps it can get back closer to what it was.

I still can't get over how bad that TV rights deal was, CA hemorrhaged the long term future of the game for short term gain, was just a really poor choice.
What was the TV rights deal that killed it? What changed?
 
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