Last Updated on 7 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Fans are against Usman Khawaja’s view that Cricket Australia (CA) should explore moving the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests to cater for the Big Bash League (BBL). Khawaja said CA must explore privatisation so the BBL can compete with other leagues around the world including South Africa’s SA20 and UAE’s ILT20, and that might mean moving the showpiece Tests of the summer.
“At some level, at some stage, everything that grows must change,” Khawaja said, as quoted by The Age. “As much as I love the Boxing Day and SCG Test match and I don’t want to move them, if it’s better for the growth of the game and allows Australian players to play in the Big Bash, I think it’s worth talking about and exploring. People don’t like change,” he said.
Khawaja went on to say that the biggest leagues in the world have grown via privatisation. That being said, the opener believes there needs to be boundaries on how the BBL gets the best out of any deal.
“My view is always for the growth of the game. I do think the BBL needs to be privatised for the growth of the game, but I do believe certain boundaries need to be put around how we privatise it, who we’re privatising to, what control CA has in terms of the product,” he said.
“There are some things we need to maintain, but also you need to let the bird fly. We can’t just keep holding the reins forever, because it’s a product that … look at sport in general, the NBA, Major League Baseball, these sports that have been growing through privatisation, I think the pros outweigh the cons, but there’s still a responsibility to the game. You can do both.”
Fans against Usman Khawaja’s view that CA should consider moving Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests
BBL privatisation has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years. It is something fans will surely get onboard with provided CA maintain the league’s identity. However, Khawaja’s view that the showpiece Tests could be moved is one that has been met with backlash.
“No. Test cricket has to remain the priority. These Tests are a part of Australian culture, that keep the public invested in this format of the sport. By moving the Tests, it could damage the already declining popularity of Test cricket,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).
Here are some of the other reactions.
According to the report in The Age, CA CEO Todd Greenberg and chair Mike Baird have both said the MCG and SCG Tests won’t be moved.
Also, Mitchell Starc is against adjusting the Test schedule. The left-arm pacer, who recently retired from T20 Internationals, believes Test cricket is the pinnacle.
“The only view I have on it is the Test cricket schedule is not to be touched. Test cricket is the pinnacle,” Starc said. “I don’t think Test cricket should make way for T20 cricket at all, whether it’s the BBL, the IPL, anything.
“The Test summer is the Test summer. I would hate to see that change for domestic cricket. That is not a snipe at anyone, that’s just my opinion of where Test cricket sits on my priority list. Whether you move the Big Bash into a smaller window and play back-to-back games, it’s not as physically demanding as Test cricket. I know they’ve shortened the schedule already. I think that’s been a positive impact.”
