Could Big Bash cricket usurp Tests in Australia?
- Published
Australians have enjoyed the spectacle of the Big Bash League
A giant seagull, acrobatic motorcyclists and a daredevil in a jetpack are the poster boys of one of the greatest success stories Australian sport has ever seen. Add fireworks, chest-thumping music and monster sixes and it's easy to see why cricket's Twenty20 Big Bash League (BBL) is one of the world's most well-attended competitions.
Set up in 2011 by Cricket Australia, the national governing body, the league has eight city-based franchises. The Perth Scorchers have been the most successful, again making the final this year, which they will play against the Sydney Sixers on Saturday.
Now into its sixth season, the fans love it, and next year's competition will expand from 32 to 40 matches.
"Importantly for us we had more people attending games of cricket (in Australia) last year than ever before in over the last 100 years. I think it was around 1.7 million people," said BBL manager Anthony Everard.
"Fans have obviously indicated there is great demand for this competition in the summertime and there is no reason why we can't grow at some stage in the future."
Live interviews
Last season, the average BBL crowd exceeded 29,000 supporters, while TV audiences have quadrupled in four years. On average more than 1.1 million viewers watched each game on free-to-air television in 2015-16, while this year some matches have eclipsed ratings for the Australian Open tennis. The Women's Big Bash League is also attracting more interest from fans back home on the sofa.
Former Australian international, Dirk Nannes, who also starred for the Netherlands in their famous ICC World Twenty20 win over England at Lord's in 2009, believes tight contests, expert commentary and the spreading of talented players among the teams have made the BBL an unstoppable force.
The Women's Big Bash League is increasing in popularity
The big names are often interviewed live during play, giving fans a unique insight during matches that last about three hours.
"You hear what the captains are doing. It is a side of the game you don't normally see. More people enjoying the game can't be a bad thing," he told the BBC.
Each team is allowed two overseas players, and the foreign legion has been dominated by stars from England and the West Indies, among them Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Chris Gayle. International schedules have restricted the availability of high-profile South Africans and Sri Lankans, while the glitterati of Indian cricket has also been absent.
Tests 'more pure'
If the BBL can boast an over-sized seagull mascot (a homage to a bird that made a miraculous recovery after being struck by a ball during a BBL clash in Melbourne), Test cricket has Alan the Alligator (aka fan James Conn) from the port city of Newcastle, north of Sydney.
"It's a good party," he said on a rain-drenched third day of the Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). "It's a good five-day atmosphere. You can't beat it."
Australia's six Tests against South Africa and Pakistan in 2016-17 were attended by a total of 521,725 people. No summer that did not involve England or India has attracted a higher number, according to Cricket Australia.
Mitchell Starc claims a wicket at the SCG Test earlier this month
"I'm enjoying the Big Bash on the TV but there is nothing like a Test match. Get the Aussie pride out there," Anne Tucker, from Sydney's northern beaches, said at the SCG Test.
"It is just part of being Australian to go to the (Test) cricket. You've got to go once in your lifetime," added her friend, Suzanne Clements. "The Test matches are more strategic and more pure."
Massive crowds
In party shirts and bright sombreros, Nicole Schneider and Harriet Messner, friends from the New South Wales town of Bathurst, were already converts to BBL, and were keen to see if the longest form of the game could match the verve of the shortest.
"This is my first Test match and I'm not sure how it will be, but I love the Big Bash. I'm going next week. It is fast-paced and it is more exciting. There is much more happening," Ms Schneider explained.
Ms Messner enthused: "I have experienced a couple of Big Bashes, which are good. They get the crowd involved with all the music and the fireworks. It's a good family game."
Harriet Messner and Nicole Schneider prefer BBL to Tests
In Adelaide, the Strikers regularly attract BBL crowds of almost 50,000 fans, while in Perth, the Scorchers will soon move to a new 60,000-seat stadium.
"Our vision is firmly on filling it every game we play there and we get great confidence seeing what has happened at the Adelaide Oval," said Christina Matthews, the head of the Western Australian Cricket Association and a former Australian cricketer.
So could T20 usurp Test matches and become the pinnacle of Australia's national sport? Maybe.
"We all believe Test cricket is the ultimate test of a cricketer and I can't see that changing in the immediate future, but in the early 1900s people couldn't see cars taking over from horses either, so we'll wait and see," Ms Matthews said.