After 60 games in seven weeks, BBL 12 reaches its denouement in Perth when the Scorchers take on the Brisbane Heat at a packed Optus Stadium on Saturday.
The summer started with the long-awaited BBL return of David Warner, as well as Steve Smith, whose back-to-back tons lit up the end of the tournament. Between that we had Matt Short and the Strikers chasing down the Hurricanes’ 229 at the Adelaide Oval, and breakout seasons for new stars such as Aaron Hardie and Paddy Dooley.
To players, administrators and fans, this season’s BBL has regained a sense of exuberance and vitality.
On Saturday night, the millionth spectator is expected to walk through the gates for this summer’s BBL. At home, audiences on free-to-air and pay TV are approaching that figure most nights and are again trending north. We’ve seen some amazing feats with both bat and ball, but the rise in interest is also due to the level of access our players provide by being mic’d up during games. This insight on tactics and personalities is crucial in providing a sense of connection with fans.
Amid all this success, it is worth noting that – to paraphrase Mark Twain – previous reports of its death were greatly exaggerated. For two years, the competition was affected by COVID-19. Players were isolated from friends and family over summer with strict quarantine and biosecurity arrangements, and eventually battled with infection outbreaks within their own camps – all to keep the game going and provide a foundation when the competition returned to normal. The return of crowds has renewed the connection between fans and players, which is fundamental to the success of any sporting league.
After such a successful summer, Australian cricket must grab the chance to establish the BBL as one of the world’s pre-eminent Twenty20 leagues.
The clash between the Heat and the Sixers at the SCG on Thursday.Credit:Getty
Cricket Australia has already shown intent to use this summer’s triumph to create an even more vibrant competition. Proposed increases to the salary cap (replicated for the WBBL) and addressing the length of the competition (albeit from the start of the next broadcast deal) will go a long way to ensuring the BBL can compete with ambitious overseas leagues by attracting the world’s best players.
Ultimately, the success of the BBL – and any league – hinges on the quality of the players involved. Offering the world’s top talent appropriate enticements to play in Australia, including their choice of team, must be part of any future strategy.
This is just as important for the WBBL, especially with the introduction of the Indian Women’s Premier League this year. Next week’s player auctions could change the lives of many of our female stars. The success of Australian women’s cricket and the WBBL cannot be separated from the historic levels of investment attracted to the Indian League. The Australian Cricketers’ Association has been crucial to the continued professionalism of the women’s game in Australia, including putting our women on the same agreement as our men as part of the ground-breaking MOU with Cricket Australia in 2017. As the rest of the world tries to catch up, we must continue to lead. Replicating BBL advancements in the WBBL is a great place to start.
In many ways, this may be less complex for the women’s game as it is yet to face the scheduling headwinds confronting the men’s game. Cricket is unique in that it must balance the needs of three formats as well as calendars on both domestic and international fronts.
Outside the game’s internal complexities, cricket exists in a world where an Australian summer offers sports fans more options than ever.
Cricket’s place in Australia’s psyche will always rest on the shoulders of those who play the game. The BBL and WBBL will play a pivotal role in providing Australian cricket with the heroes for a new generation to identify with and be inspired by.
For both competitions to remain vital and strong, we must do everything we can to ensure the biggest names in our game have the opportunity and incentive to play it.
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