South Australia’s bid to whisk away the Sydney New Year’s Test has been forced in part by the expiry of a secret deal with Cricket Australia that secured premium Test matches at Adelaide Oval over the first decade after it was redeveloped.
The CA board, chaired by Lachlan Henderson, was going to get close to finalising the program for Test matches next summer at their February meeting this week. But that discussion may now carry on into March, after the former NSW premier Mike Baird has become chair.
Senior cricket sources have confirmed to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that this summer marks the expiry of a “best endeavours” agreement with CA for Adelaide to get a prime Test match in December each year or close to it.
The famous Adelaide Oval scoreboard.Credit:Getty Images
That deal was struck after the $550 million Adelaide Oval redevelopment, and involved the payment of a fee to CA for the privilege.
Importantly, the terms guaranteed an India Test for Adelaide in 2014, 2018 and 2020. By contrast, Brisbane and Perth were forced to alternate, with the Gabba hosting in 2014 and 2021, and Perth Stadium used in 2018. India have agreed to play five-Test series, mirroring the Ashes, in future.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and the SACA, chaired by Will Rayner, wish to make a case to host a Test match of their preference, rather than being handed a late January match against the West Indies as a fait accompli.
And while the Tests are unlikely to be put out to open tender, there may be a willingness to closely examine what SA and other state governments might be prepared to offer in terms of funding, and other terms like insurance or security costs.
CA’s leaders have long hoped for more competitive bidding among state governments for major matches, attempting to generate jostling among states for fixtures over nearly a decade.
In 2014, SA’s government put together a compelling case for Adelaide Oval to host preferred fixtures at the 50-over World Cup the following year, securing the India v Pakistan blockbuster and also Australia’s quarter-final ahead of the Gabba and WACA Ground.
In 2021, CA oversaw a three-way battle between Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales for the fifth Ashes Test that was ultimately played at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval.
The Tasmanian state government reportedly paid a fee in the region of $5 million for the right to host that match, and Malinauskas’ government has put together a major events fund in the region of $40 million for his state.
At the same time, greater scheduling investment in Western Australia is still acknowledged as a strategic priority for cricket. That fact was underlined by the record 53,886 spectators who saw the Perth Scorchers squeak past the Brisbane Heat to win the Big Bash League on Saturday night.
Perth Stadium has hosted massive BBL crowds.Credit:Getty Images
Cricket’s leaders have wrestled with the matter of how to get better attendance and corporate returns out of Perth. During last year’s meagrely attended Test match against the West Indies, the high number of empty corporate boxes was as big a concern as the overall crowds themselves.
WA Cricket’s chair, Avril Fahey, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week that the state’s preference was not to host the West Indies again next summer. Perth did not host a Test match between 2018 and 2022 due to state government border restrictions.
“Pakistan’s coming with the West Indies again, so I’m pretty hopeful we don’t get the West Indies,” Fahey said. “But it’s about making sure we have an opportunity to deliver something for the fans in Perth.
“In WA cricket we’ve had some concerns around scheduling and the like, the Wednesday start in November, West Indies, a lot of things there make it really challenging for us to drive attendance. A number of our members have written to me about how disappointed they are with the scheduling we’ve received.”
Rayner had stated that SACA had put its argument to CA in no uncertain terms. “We believe SACA’s got a compelling case in front of Cricket Australia that shows that our premium product deserves premium scheduling,” he said. “We really look forward to working with them to ensure that continues for our members.”
