Big Bash League: Dan Christian says getting Aussie internationals to play is the ‘final frontier’
When the BBL was first formed nine years ago, one of its ambitions was to find a window for its national players. While scheduling makes that tough, Dan Christian thinks it can help soothe rising tensions.
Cricket
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One of the Big Bash’s most decorated campaigners says administrators must aspire to get Australia’s international superstars playing more of the tournament.
Dan Christian has signed a new deal with the Sydney Sixers for this season, and not only is it his fourth BBL club, but the 37-year-old knows the entire landscape of Twenty20 cricket better than most as a veteran of the pre-eminent IPL.
For all the big name stars like Pat Cummins and David Warner who descend on the IPL each year, the competition’s lifeblood is the fact that all Indian players are available for every game.
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When the BBL was first formed nine years ago one of its ambitions was to find a window for its national players, and now the heat is being turned up by broadcasters Channel 7 and Fox Sports to find a solution to the riddle which could be set to cost the game millions.
Inevitable international scheduling clashes has made it an impossible dream, but an independent report commissioned by CA into the BBL earlier this year made the key recommendation that the Bash be given its own free air every summer following the New Year’s Test in Sydney, which would allow Australia’s biggest names to play the majority of the season.
Christian says it’s the final frontier for the BBL.
“In terms of the standard of the BBL, the only thing it lacks I think is having the Australian players available all the time,” Christian told News Corp, ahead of his return to where it all started for him in NSW.
“I know that’s going to be a difficult thing with the window and the time of year it is, because it’s a fantastic time of year to play (international cricket and BBL).
“The IPL is the easiest one to compare it to. The IPL get all the Indian players playing and get four internationals per team. You’re never going to be able to have something like that unfortunately, but in terms of the standard of cricket and the product itself, that’d be something we could aspire to, to get there one day I think.
“If (scheduling) was an easy job we’d have the Australian guys and internationals available a bit more often already, but hopefully they can try and sort something out for the future.”
It’s understood Fox Sports boss Patrick Delany had a constructive meeting with CA interim chief Nick Hockley on Friday. It would appear as though Cricket Australia may be prepared to start negotiating new arrangements with both its broadcasters in response to the COVID-19 drama.
Cricket Australia’s push for a travelling BBL roadshow has reportedly concerned Fox, but it’s understood there are certain frameworks that have been taken out of CA’s hands and have been unavoidable at the direction of Government.
There is confidence that CA and Fox can work towards a mutual compromise, although greater doubt hangs over whether the game will be able to strike a new deal with Channel 7.
England cricketer David Willey contracted COVID-19 from his wife this week and passed it on to two of his Yorkshire teammates – highlighting the risks of not playing the BBL in a bubble.
“If you want the comp to go ahead, be as careful as you can,” said Christian.
Christian said he fears convincing international stars to come to the BBL this season will be difficult – as Channel 7 has also flagged.
“There’s a few of the English guys I know from over here who are interested and been talking about it, if they get the chance. But it’s going to be a pretty long season,” said Christian.
“That’s going to be the negative for them. To come over potentially a month early to do their two weeks quarantine and train for two weeks and then the comp is going to go for two months. To be in the country for three months, that’s a pretty big ask and a pretty big sacrifice for those guys, particularly if there are some that have got families.”
The Dan and Mo Show
Dan Christian and Moises Henriques started at NSW Cricket together on the same day … albeit only one was old enough to drive.
“It was around the same time, even though Mo was about 14 years old I think when he started,” said Christian.
But now the former child prodigy will be his captain, with two of Australia’s most successful white ball all-rounders to be reunited in the same line-up again, after Christian agreed to come home to NSW for the first time since 2007 with a new BBL deal at the Sydney Sixers.
Christian is four years older than Henriques, but the pair have been close ever since entering the Blues camp at the same time.
At 37 years of age, Christian has played professional cricket in every Australian state except Western Australia, but came home for Henriques and his connection to the baggy blue.
“Mo and I have been good mates for years. We catch up and play golf whenever we’re in the same state and that was certainly part of the carrot to come back,” said Christian.
“To go home and play in Sydney again, particularly at the SCG and I’m not going to say this is the last deal of my career, but it’s obviously towards the end of it so it will be nice to bookend it to start and finish in NSW that’s for sure.”
Christian believes the Sixers can go back-to-back.
“Definitely. I don’t see why not,” he said.
“They’ve obviously got something pretty strong there with the culture and the nucleus of guys they’ve got. Hopefully I can add to that.”
Ceasefire: Cricket TV war pauses in first sign of peace
A ceasefire has descended upon cricket’s broadcasting war, but it remains a race against the clock to avoid a legal showdown.
Both Cricket Australia and Channel 7 reported constructive talks were had in their crunch meeting on Thursday, in the first sign the governing body may be ready to work towards striking a new deal with its disgruntled TV partner.
It’s a positive development for the game following a tumultuous week which started with Channel 7 commencing the process of terminating its $450 million contract, before the network and Fox Sports escalated the drama again by only partially paying on their multi-million dollar TV rights instalment.
However, the pressure is squarely on Cricket Australia to drive the negotiations, given Channel 7 is poised to head straight to an independent tribunal in early October if they’re not satisfied things are moving towards an agreement.
The independent arbitration body would be asked to make a binding assessment on the “fair value” of the TV rights.
Sources from both Seven and Cricket Australia say it felt like the intensions were there at Thursday’s meeting in Sydney to work constructively and try and avoid that alarming D-Day in court.
But the $1.2 billion question is, can it happen?
So far both parties have been at polar opposites in their position, with Channel 7 furiously claiming that the summer – particularly the BBL won’t deliver on value – while, Cricket Australia has maintained all along that it would uphold its end of the bargain and deliver a full and glittering schedule.
Cricket Australia would have to accept that the value of the product was set to go down due to the impacts of COVID-19, and essentially recut a deal as the NRL and AFL had to do at the onset of the pandemic with their broadcasters.
But even then, the question is, what level of discount would be able to satisfy Seven, who have made it clear they want out.
Fox Sports bosses are due to meet Cricket Australia’s interim chief executive Nick Hockley on Friday, after the pay-TV giant also opted not to pay the full freight of their $33 million TV rights instalment on Tuesday.
It’s understood Cricket Australia is still yet to send either network a legal notice for breach of contract, however, industry experts believe that will inevitably have to happen at some point unless the game is happy to be shortchanged millions of dollars in owed payments.
Channel 7 notified CA last week of its intention to terminate, citing breach of contract, and cricket has until early October to respond.
A key pillar in trying to make a meaningful progression in negotiations will be if Cricket Australia can finally release an updated schedule to put certainty over exactly what is the plan.
They’re still at the mercy of the Queensland and South Australian State Governments whose health departments must sign off on quarantine arrangements for the Indian team and Australia’s IPL stars returning from Dubai.
The first Test against India is expected to start on December 17 at Adelaide Oval, before Boxing Day at either the MCG or Adelaide, depending on Melbourne’s COVID-19 status and whether borders are open again between Victoria and NSW and Queensland who would be slated to host the final two Tests running into mid-January.
The summer would start with a series of white ball matches against India in Queensland and South Australia, while the one-off Test against Afghanistan appears on the verge of falling over, following the hard-headedness of the West Australian
Late week show of force
The ceasefire came after Cricket Australia had been set to flex its muscles for the first time in the broadcast war on Thursday, when it came face-to-face with Channel 7.
The game’s top brass were locked in extensive war room discussions on Wednesday, sparked into crisis talks after Channel 7 and Fox Sports escalated the dispute by only delivering partial payments on their TV rights deal, leaving cricket’s coffers short on millions of dollars.
As of Wednesday night, neither Seven or Fox had received any legal response from CA, but the governing body was set to formulate a position to urgently protect the $1.2 billion media rights contract.
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Channel 7 commenced terminating its contract with CA last week, citing breaches of the contract, and chief executive James Warburton has called for an independent expert to come in and determine “the fair value of the rights against the expected schedule.”
But Cricket Australia’s lawyers were set to return serve at Seven with their own breach of contract notice, after the network declared a sub-$25 million payment was the last cheque they would pay for the rest of the summer on a deal worth $82 million a year.
Fox Sports has been far less aggressive in their approach, but also only made a partial payment on their $33 million allotment on Tuesday, citing similar concerns that the value of this summer’s Big Bash League will be greatly diminished under COVID-19 protocols.
Cricket Australia issued a statement on Tuesday which only reinforced its position that it will deliver a world-class summer that would uphold its end of the bargain with broadcasters.
Administrators are edging ever closer to being able to finally release a summer Test schedule, with Cricket Australia waiting on final sign-off from the South Australian and Queensland Governments on quarantine provisions for the Indian team and Australian stars returning from the IPL.
It’s a sign the summer is set to kick off with white ball matches in those two states against the Indians ahead of a first Test against Virat Kohli’s men in Adelaide.
The one-off Test against Afghanistan appears in grave danger of falling over, despite the best efforts of CA bosses – as a result of Western Australia’s hardline stance on quarantine.
International superstar Jofra Archer indicated he for one would not be travelling out to the Big Bash League, however CA interim boss Nick Hockley said the game was still confident about the “ambitious recruitment drive” of its clubs.
BBL clubs are privately worried that players and coaches might be spooked by the uncertainty of the virus and also the situation with broadcasters.
It’s understood the extensive discussions among Cricket Australia heavyweights on Wednesday focused on not only legal positioning, but also how the game would formulate its overall response to its broadcasters’ bold call to nominate what they feel is the new value of the deal under the impact of COVID-19.
CA has until September 23 to respond to Channel 7’s breach allegations, before the matter could be headed for a lengthy mediation and arbitration process.
Cricket Australia could decide to renegotiate the contract, as the NRL and AFL did with their respective broadcasters earlier this year, but at this stage there has been no suggestion out of head office that concessions will be made.
“Together we are confident of delivering a compelling summer schedule that will meet our commitments to our broadcast partners and the high expectations of our fans,” said Hockley on Tuesday.
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