OPINION: Wait on, where's the cricket?

Cricketer David Warner's call for Australians to get behind their team has come at a time when a new barrier has been thrown up to stop that happening.

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever. Picture: PENNY STEPHENS

CRICKETER David Warner's call for Australians to get behind their team has come at a time when a new barrier has been thrown up to stop that happening.

Warner made the comments on the weekend, after Australia had won Friday's one-day international against South Africa but before they lost the series decider on Sunday.

"We've got to keep trying to be positive and pump them up because they're trying their hardest," Warner was quoted as saying.

"They're training their backsides off to win games.

"If we can be a bit more positive in what we do it will help them go a long way."

These are all fair points.

But it is hard to get excited about a game the average punter can no longer see.

Cricket Australia's most recent broadcasting deal has taken a selection of games from free-to-air television.

The governing body secured $1.2 billion in April for the six-year deal.

It included exclusive pay television games, of which the South Africa series were the first.

Switching on to find no trace of athletes running around in bright yellow and dark green pyjamas was truly disappointing.

It is true that if you want something good, you (usually) have to pay for it.

And there isn't any reason to doubt those paying for their television programming are happy with what they are getting.

Still that does little to ease the disruption the broadcast deal has done to a lifetime of instant, quality and free access.

It is hard to imagine the change not costing cricket at least a few supporters.