Amid all the glitz and glamour, pink Hummers, Harley-Davidsons and eye-straining colour schemes unveiled at the launch of the new city-based Twenty20 Big Bash League on Wednesday night in Sydney, Cricket Australia missed a perfect opportunity to truly expand the sport.
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When the BBL kicks off on December 16 pitting the Sydney Sixers (that’s the pink team) against Brisbane Heat at the SCG it will begin a competition that is not really that revolutionary.
Sure, the eight teams based in Sydney (two), Melbourne (two), Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Brisbane will field bright colours, Americanised nicknames and slightly different playing rosters, but not much will have changed from the old state-based Twenty20 competition.
Markets like Newcastle, Geelong, Canberra and Townsville will be left crying out for elite cricket.
This summer will be the second in a row the NSW Blues have not visited Newcastle’s No.1 Sportsground.
That comes at a time when massive investment in rugby league, soccer and AFL is pouring into the Hunter.
University Cricket Club stalwart and Bilbie Dan law firm partner Robert Faraday-Bensley led a bid, supported by Newcastle District Cricket Association, for a Newcastle BBL franchise to play out of Ausgrid Stadium on drop-in pitches.
Cricket NSW torpedoed the proposal, opting instead to install a Western Sydney franchise, now known as the Thunder (that’s the electric green team).
The Newcastle bid had its obvious pitfalls.
Using a rectangular stadium for cricket was not ideal and drop-in pitches could disrupt the A-League Jets, who use the ground during the BBL’s December and January playing window.
These issues could have been managed, especially considering Nathan Tinkler’s reported interest in a Newcastle BBL franchise.
Cricket Australia is trying to split Sydney fans down east-west lines, between the Sixers playing at the SCG and the Thunder at Homebush.
If judged on the ability of the Blues to engage the Sydney market in domestic cricket in recent years, one would be highly sceptical of how successful the Sixers and Thunder will be.
They are trying to fabricate parochial support, something a Newcastle team would naturally provide.
In 2002-03 16,500 people turned out to No.1 Sportsground over four days to watch the Sheffield Shield match between the Blues and Western Australia.
A year later 17,654 watched Steve and Mark Waugh’s farewell against Victoria.
The only domestic T20 match held in Newcastle attracted a crowd of 10,652 when Andrew Johns played for the Blues against South Australia in 2006-07.
A T20 team representing this city would attract great support.
Cricket Australia has hinted at future expansion for the BBL. Let’s hope they know where to look.
