Cricket Australia rejects push to move BBL final to Melbourne with heavy rain predicted in Sydney

With up to 45mm predicted in Sydney for Saturday’s Big Bash League final, Cricket Australia has baulked at a proposal to move the decider and bushfire charity match to Melbourne.

Spectators take shelter during a rain-affected BBL game in Sydney.

Cricket Australia has rejected a serious push to have Saturday’s sold-out Big Bash final and bushfire charity match moved from Sydney to Melbourne as frustrated broadcasters anticipate a washout to end what has been one of the more star-crossed summers.

Last Friday night’s qualifying final between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars at the MCG attracted just 13,275 as the temperature hit 45C in parts of Melbourne.

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The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting up to 45mm in Sydney for Saturday’s final at the SCG, a forecast that threatens to ruin the biggest game of the season and the all-star bushfire charity game that will feature some of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game.

With heavy rain also predicted on the Friday there are genuine concerns about playing a curtain raiser on the same ground ahead of the final even if there is no rain.

News Corp understands that anxious broadcasters were keen to have the event — or at least one of the games — moved, but Cricket Australia rejected the idea.

Groundsmen cover the pitch during a shower at the SCG. Up to 45mm is predicted on Saturday.

“We’ve already sold a lot of tickets and the Sixers fans jumped on pretty quick so we are looking forward to a big day regardless,” head of the BBL Alistair Dobson said.

“It’s fantastic to sell out in the best part of a couple of days, which shows the passion of cricket fans in Sydney and also the opportunity to see some of those legends of the game and all for a really good cause.”

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Average crowds are down and while attendances again broke through the one million mark they are on track to be the lowest since 2015-16 despite a marked increase in the number of matches played in a season.

So many things have gone wrong for the BBL this summer.

A game at Manuka between the Thunder and Strikers at Manuka in December was abandoned because of smoke from bushfires while a match in Alice Springs which attracted only 1057 fans — a historic low — affected average crowd figures.

Games at the smaller venues attract lower crowds but can cost broadcasters more to produce because of the locations.

A record number of games have, ironically, been affected by rain.

“It seems to have been one of those seasons when you think about the number of games that have been impacted by weather or smoke, lots of rain on Saturday would not be inconsistent with the season we’ve had,” Dobson said.

The weather is cold comfort to broadcasters Channel 7 and Fox Cricket who paid more than $1bn for television rights which included an expanded BBL that promised bigger crowds and more star power.

The BBL lured retired international stars AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn to this year’s competition, but the money and/or inclination was not enough to have them play more than part of the season.

More frustrating is the absence of Australia’s biggest names, many of whom were compelled to travel to India for an extraordinary ODI series and some of whom still won’t play now that is finished.

Spectators take shelter during a rain-affected BBL game in Sydney.

David Warner will, weather permitting, turn out for his club side on Sunday morning but has shown no interest in signing for a BBL franchise.

Pat Cummins has a deal with the Sydney Thunder, who play Melbourne Stars on Thursday to see who qualifies to play the Sixers should Saturday’s game go ahead.

Mitchell Starc has also rejected entreaties to come out of mothballs for the finals.

Broadcasters want the big names, but Cricket Australia has put international duties first again next year when the BBL will be scheduled at the same time as international and ODI T20 series.

The crowd problem was highlighted when just 15,963 people attended Saturday night’s final at Adelaide Oval when previous finals have averaged closer to 45,000 at the ground.

When 34,219 people attended a charity cricket match between the two local Australian rules sides at the same venue to raise money for bushfires the following day even more questions were asked.

Strikers stars Travis Head and Alex Carey were given a clearance by the BBL to play in the charity event which raised more than $1m for charity.

The BBL expanded from 34 to 59 games in the build-up to the last broadcast deal, but total crowds have stayed around the million mark for the tournament.