Cricket 2022: All the latest news from BBL12

The success of NBL Christmas Day basketball has led to the inevitable question of whether the BBL will follow suit, and the players have weighed in on the issue.

Stars skipper Adam Zampa has emphatically declared he doesn’t want to play BBL games on Christmas Day and defended teammate Marcus Stoinis for skipping Monday’s match in Sydney to be with his family for the holiday.

Having sport on December 25 has become one of the most talked about issues in Australian sport after the NBL broke new ground by having the Kings host Melbourne United on Sunday night.

A crowd of 7012 attended the game while a further 300,000 people tuned in on television prompting NBL officials to consider holding a double-header in 2023.

Adam Zampa isn’t a fan of playing cricket on Christmas Day. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Christmas has been the final frontier for cricket with Boxing Day reserved for the biggest Test of the year, while the BBL is played every other day including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in the hectic summer schedule.

The non-stop nature of modern cricket means players rarely get to spend time with their families, and it’s why Zampa is so opposed to the idea.

“I don’t really want to play on Christmas Day,” he said after the Stars were beaten by the Sixers on Boxing Day.

“Our schedules are hectic enough as is, particularly for the Stars. Obviously the Boxing Day Test is on so we’re not in Melbourne, we’re away quite a bit this time of year.

“To add in a Christmas Day game would be out of the question.”

The hectic schedule is one of the reasons why T20 specialist Marcus Stoinis did not travel to Sydney for the game, instead choosing to stay in Perth to be with his family ahead of Thursday’s match against the Scorchers.

Stoinis plays in domestic T20 competitions around the world and has toured extensively with the Australian side for a number of years, which is why Zampa had no issue letting him and Nathan Coulter-Nile sit out the game in Sydney.

“I’ve taken Christmas Eve games off as well just because we do travel a lot,” the spinner said.

“It’s a long 14 game season and you do want guys coming in feeling fresh and at their best. Sometimes it’s just not the case.

“If you’re travelling the world trying to see your family on the other side of the country and coming back four hours later to try to play a game, it is about managing bodies, particularly guys like ‘Coults’ and ‘Stoin’ who have had issues with their bodies.”

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques isn’t too keen on the idea either, pointing out that it’s not just the players who would suffer if games were played on Christmas.

Adam Zampa has defended the decision by teammate Marcus Stoinis to skip the Boxing Day BBL match. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

He said that it wasn’t a major sacrifice for players given they are making plenty of money, but it would be asking a lot of stadium staff, caterers, security and broadcasters to be away from their families.

Henriques said there was a simple solution to the schedule if a Christmas match was introduced, and also had a cheeky dig at the NBL.

“I didn’t even know basketball played on Sunday, so that’s news to me,” he said after guiding the Sixers to victory.

“I’m glad I didn’t play on Christmas Day, that’s for sure.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but at the same time I didn’t even know basketball played.

“The money-making machine that Cricket Australia is, whatever they think is good for the game (is what we should do). More often than not, the players get right in behind it and give it our best shot.

“I’d say if it is Christmas Day, I hope we use our brains and use Christmas Day as a local derby somewhere like a Melbourne-Melbourne game or the Sydney teams so that guys don’t have to be away from their families on a day like that.” v

CRICKET TV RIGHTS TENSIONS IGNITE OVER STARS’ XMAS HOLIDAY

Broadcasters are bewildered that two of the Big Bash’s biggest stars have been given a Christmas holiday at a time when Cricket Australia’s TV rights deal is delicately poised.

The Melbourne Stars have rested superstar Marcus Stoinis and former World Cup Australian ace Nathan Coulter-Nile for Monday night’s grudge game against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG so they could spend time in their home town Perth for Christmas.

The decision to “manage” the big name pair raised eyebrows at both Channel 7 and Fox Sports, particularly given the Stars’ and the BBL’s headline act Glenn Maxwell is already sidelined through injury.

Without Stoinis and Coulter-Nile in the line-up, the Stars called in James Seymour and Liam Hatcher for their first matches of the season.

Nathan Coulter-Nile and Stoinis were both given a Christmas break. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Trent Boult, Adam Zampa and Hilton Cartwright were left as the only household names in the Stars’ line-up.

Neither Channel 7 or Channel 9 have shown a huge amount of interest in the Big Bash rights, and it’s the main reason why CA is struggling to bridge the gap between Paramount’s blockbuster $1.5bn offer and rival bids from the other networks.

It’s understood the Stars’ decision to let Coulter-Nile miss the match is part of a longstanding plan to manage his workload given his history of injury trouble, and was one of the reasons why the club prioritised signing Kiwi quick Boult.

Stoinis hails from Perth and was given leave by the club to spend an extra day with his family in the west before returning to Stars’ camp.

Fox Sports have largely been happy with the start to the Big Bash season, with an improved quality in matches and a concerted effort from CA powerbrokers to get big names playing.

However, the decision to let Stoinis and Coulter-Nile have a rest only a couple of weeks into the competition hurts the BBL’s reputation at a time when CA is desperately trying to convince broadcasters it’s a top line league worth investing in.

Cricket Australia is set to slash the number of Big Bash matches under the new rights deal after years’ of pressure from broadcasters and senior players.

However, some leading figures in the Australian game disagree with the plan to cut up to 20 matches from the schedule, bemoaning the opportunities such a move would take away from young players trying to make a name for themselves in professional cricket.