BBL international player draft abandoned due to COVID-19
Cricket Australia’s plan to return the Big Bash League to its glory days is over with COVID-19 blocking the governing body’s daring concept.
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Cricket Australia has been forced to abandon its plans to rejuvenate the Big Bash with an international player draft this summer.
It was hoped the daring concept would help the BBL to rekindle its glory days of luring some of the biggest names back down under, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisers to pull the pin on an inaugural draft for another 12 months.
Despite the blow, CA remain hopeful that overseas stars will still be able to gain Government exemptions to fly in for this season, only it will be under the old model of clubs recruiting their own players rather than via the box office drama of a central draft.
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Cricket bosses are committed to a draft for the following season and have high hopes of making it a major television event to help build hype and interest, having seen it succeed for the IPL in India and England’s The Hundred.
“The BBL has a history of innovation and we’ve considered a number of options to add to the excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season,” said BBL boss Alistair Dobson.
“Our commitment to attracting the best overseas players to the BBL is as high as ever and requires a tailored approach in today’s world, while a draft remains something we will strongly consider for future seasons.”
Although there are some clubs that won’t be disappointed that the draft hasn’t got off the tarmac for this season, given the proposal hadn’t been greeted with universal support.
Clubs like Adelaide feel that the draft undermines the hard work they’ve tried to pour into building relationships with their overseas stars. For example Rashid Khan has become a crowd favourite at Adelaide Oval, but a draft would only open up the prospect he could be stolen by another franchise.
However, Cricket Australia are determined not to allow the self-interest of clubs to get in the way of the bigger picture.
Administrators feel that some BBL franchises don’t even bother trying to target the game’s superstars, because they’d rather lock in a no-frills overseas player who no one has heard of for a full season, than try and fish for a big name who is only going to feature for a short stint.
TV executives at rights holders Channel 7 and Fox Sports as well as CA bosses are adamant the bigger the names the better, and they feel the draft is the way to help double-down on attracting the big names that are out there.
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One potential roadblock for getting overseas stars into Australia for this summer under COVID-19 restrictions is whether or not Government exemptions would allow for families of players to also enter the country.
Getting overseas players out for this season will be more important than ever, given the possibility that more Australian stars will be unavailable to feature in the Big Bash due to clashing Test and ODI commitments.
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Big Bash League talent stocks could be savaged to an unprecedented extent this summer, because Australian selectors are likely to be forced into picking oversized squads that will be locked into a hub.
Of the 21 players Australia are taking to England on Sunday for six white ball internationals, up to half a dozen are unlikely to get an international game, but they must be there to cover all bases in the COVID-19 world.
If this bubble existence continues on into the summer, which it almost certainly will, it’s the BBL that will bear the brunt of the excess of stars trapped inside the Australian bubble, particularly if one-day internationals and Tests are all crammed in before Christmas.
BBL clubs are bracing themselves for the player drain and it will be local cricketers who are called in to fill the breach and keep the show rolling.
The loss of stars to the international formats during BBL time hurts Channel 7 and Fox Sports every year, but the pain would be compounded if there are half a dozen extra big names unavailable for the Bash, who are not actually featuring in the starting XI for Australia either.
It’s shaping as an unavoidable reality due to the restrictions of biosecurity bubbles and State border closures and Australian coach Justin Langer says the game needs to accept compromises.
“If we’ve got to have bigger squads because we can’t have guys coming in and out, there is a compromise. It will take some of our best players out of our domestic competitions,” said Langer.
“Having 12th and 13th men (for Australia go and play) Shield cricket (between or during Tests) is unlikely to happen.
“Most importantly within Australian cricket we have to all work together on this because there are bigger squads required for different reasons. This is going to take a toll – perhaps on domestic cricket whether it’s Big Bash or Sheffield Shield. There’s going to have to be some give and take.
“If we can just accept that and all work together we’ll get the best outcomes.”
Big-hitting Craig Simmons became a sensation when he was plucked out of Perth grade cricket back in 2013, and Ben Manenti and Jono Cook have been more recent examples of local heroes on TV.
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Once the schedule is determined, Cricket Australia’s head of team performance Ben Oliver is expected to contact the clubs and let them know the players likely to be on the radar of national selectors, and from there the franchises will be able to go about trying to fill the gaps – primarily with local cricketers.
There are now major doubts over whether Cricket Australia will be able to pull off an overseas player draft amid the myriad of other challenges they’re dealing with – in a situation which also leaves a question mark over how many international stars will be able to feature in this year’s BBL.
There has been constant speculation that Channel 7 will try and seek TV rights discounts from Cricket Australia, and major changes to BBL lists may embolden their pursuit, even if CA can provide a full schedule.