Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey
Foxtel cops heat after choosing not to broadcast Bangladesh vs Australia series | Foxtel didn’t secure the rights to broadcast the series – fans react
History has been made, but for the wrong reasons. For the first time in the 21st century, an Australian men’s cricket series will not be broadcast in Australia, with the last such instance being the Pakistan Test series way back in 1994.
Fox Sports, who have a dedicated cricket channel Fox Cricket, rejected the rights to host the Bangladesh vs Australia T20I series, which is the first time these two teams will meet in T20 Internationals outside of the World Cup. According to Bangladesh cricket sources, Foxtel failed to agree to the terms required to broadcast the series to the Australian public.
To rub salt in the wounds, cricket.com.au reported that the series will be available on the Rabbithole Bangladesh YouTube channel. However, unlike the recent Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh series, these Australia T20Is are geoblocked, thus unavailable to fans down under.
According to reports, the Olympic Games, absence of key stars and late start time reduced the attractiveness of the series from Foxtel’s point of view. However, such reasons make little to no sense when they choose to host a series such as West Indies vs Pakistan which begins at 1am Sydney time.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions from journalists, fans and even the Australian captain who are disgruntled at not being able to access the action unless they have betting accounts or a VPN.
At the time of writing, Australia were engaging in the first of five T20Is against Bangladesh to be played over the next week. After a poor series in West Indies, a number of players will be trying to make a final claim to be part of the T20 World Cup squad.