Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Low crowds for AUS vs ENG ODIs: Is cricket dying in Australia? | Reasons for low crowds in AUS vs ENG ODIs
Like many white-ball internationals, the Australia-England three-match ODI series has come, gone and no one will remember it next week. It is an issue plaguing the international game, with a concerted effort by administrators to squeeze in as many matches as humanly possible to rake in broadcaster money.
However, as evident in the situation in Australia, it is a ‘strategy’ that needs changing. Captains are being rotated to manage workloads, while fans pick and choose what matches they watch given the season is now filled with a glut of a white-ball matches.
After low crowds for Australia matches in the T20 World Cup, the hosts embarked on a contextless, meaningless set of friendlies against an England side who had lifted the showpiece T20 trophy just days earlier. Such matches do no favours to ODI cricket, especially considering the format is fighting hard for survival alongside Test cricket and continued rise of T20 leagues around the globe.
15,428 turned up at the 53,500-capacity Adelaide Oval for the first ODI. 16,993 walked through the gates at the 48,000-seat Sydney Cricket Ground two days later. The fact these crowds are considered not bad in some corners (rightly so) is a wake up call for Cricket Australia. The final ODI saw a record-low 10,406 attend at the MCG, where you could hear the echo of bat on ball in the coverage.
Low crowds for Australia-England ODIs: Is the game dying in Australia?
Does this mean cricket is dying (or dead) in Australia? Not quite. It is important to understand a few key factors before making judgements on the state of the game in this country.
1. Cricket is very seasonal in Australia
Australian fans are creatures of habit. Over the years, the international season would begin in mid-November with a Test match at the Gabba. There was always a build up to the new summer of cricket. The anticipation was rife, often met with a strong Brisbane crowd and high viewership on Channel 9.
But, since Cricket Australia’s damaging $1.2 billion rights deal in 2018, the schedule is all over the place. This year, the season kicked off with ODIs up north against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in August and September. Then, a T20 International against West Indies was played in front of empty stands on a Wednesday night on the Gold Coast. Many fans didn’t even know the game was on.
Instead of catering to the fans, CA’s long term vision of the game was blocked by the dollar signs in front of their eyes. Before the end of November, Australia have already played nine ODIs (against Zimbabwe, New Zealand, England) and eight T20Is (against West Indies, England, India), all stuck behind a paywall. This is in addition to a full T20 World Cup.
2. Unfair to compare crowds with years gone by
It is human nature to look forward to things that don’t happen as often. That is not the case with the cricketing calendar, which is packed to the rafters, consisting of many matches that don’t mean much.
In the past, i.e. 15-20 years ago, there would be 5-7 Tests and the famous ODI tri-series. Now, there is the desire to cram white-ball internationals in before the end of November (and in February, too), have 1-2 Test series and a huge, reduced-quality Big Bash League that takes up a big part of the season.
As a result, attendances are spread out over a far greater number of matches. For example, instead of a BBL game in Sydney, a fan may choose to go to a day of the Test, a one-dayer or T20 International at any point throughout the season. Supporters still turn up, but they are spread out over a higher number of games.
Couple this with the cost of living around Australia at the moment, and it is unrealistic to expect fans to turn out for every match.
“We’ve come off a T20 World Cup into a three-match one-day series into five Tests, the WBBL is heading into finals at the minute, then you’ve got BBL, we go to India for Tests and white-ball, the girls have got a T20 World Cup into IPL. There’s a game of cricket every day of the week,” said Mitchell Starc.
“I guess I can see both sides of it. How do you ask people to go spend 400-500 bucks at a day of cricket three days a week? It’s a busy schedule for players and staff and fans.”
3. Get matches back on Free-to-Air
According to Dan Brettig in his piece for Sydney Morning Herald, around 500,000 viewers tuned in across Kayo and Foxtel for the second Australia-England ODI. Such a number is quite significant for what is effectively an international friendly, especially when many fans are struggling to keep up with the schedule with matches stuck behind a paywall.
So, the key for Cricket Australia is to get white-ball internationals back on free-to-air television and drive the viewership numbers towards a million plus, as was the case pre-2018.
Three-pronged plan for Cricket Australia to resurrect the home season
The next broadcast deal is set for 2024 onwards. Who lands the rights and for how much is a whole different topic.
However, to resurrect the season and begin to drive engagement once again, CA needs to implement these three things:
- Move back to a short, sharp Big Bash League. The rise of other leagues around the world and jampacked international schedule means the best players will often be unavailable.
- Kick the season off with a Gabba Test match.
- Focus on a strong November to February window.
By implementing these three key changes, fans can begin to value the matches, and more importantly, know when the games are on.
ALSO READ:
- Over 50% of fans would cut ODI cricket to reduce pressure on scheduling according to recent survey
- 5 reasons why crowds were low for Australia matches at the 2022 T20 World Cup
