‘Bugger the east coast’: Zempilas doubles down, makes bold pitch for midnight Test cricket

Basil Zempilas has doubled down on his bizarre rant about cricket crowds and called for Perth to host a Test that could finish at midnight.

Basil Zempilas has doubled down on his criticism of the turnout for the Boxing Day Test and made a bold pitch for Perth to host a day-night Test match to attract more fans.

The Perth mayor caused a stir when he took aim at the crowd of 62,000 that turned up at the MCG on Boxing Day, despite that being more than the entire attendance across the four days of action at the Perth Test.

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He tweeted: “Hmmmm. What’s their excuse? Not like you can go to the beach?”

Zempilas was immediately rebuffed on social media by cricket fans who thought it was actually a very solid crowd given the wet weather in Melbourne and the standard of Australia’s opponent.

But Zempilas, who became mayor 2020 in and is said to be eyeing a run for WA Parliament, wouldn’t back down from his comments on Thursday.

“Bugger the Vics I say. Bugger the rest of them as well,” he told 6PR Radio.

“All of this came out of a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun at the Victorians for all going home when it started raining. And I looked up at the MCG, virtually empty and said, ‘what’s their excuse? It’s not as if they can go to the beach.

Basil has doubled down. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images for Cricket Australia)

The crowds have been solid at the MCG. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

“That was of course relating to our own crowds at our own Test match. Yes, the Vics did have more on one day, the opening day of the Boxing Day Test than we had for our entire Test match, but then again … if our Test match started on Boxing Day, a public holiday, I reckon we’d get a fair crowd as well.”

Perth raised eyebrows when a crowd of more than 40,000 attended a Perth Scorchers Big Bash game on Boxing Day evening, just a week after the small crowds at Optus Stadium for the Test were criticised.

Zempilas said the strong Scorchers turnout showed Perth’s appetite for night cricket and called for the city to be given a day-night Test.

This summer’s day night Test against the West Indies will be held at the Gabba with play starting at 3pm. A day-night Test in Perth would be a tall order, given play would finish around midnight on the east coast.

Asked about the fact a late finish in Perth would mean stumps being around 11pm or midnight in Sydney in Melbourne, Zempilas said: “Bugger what they say on the east coast!

“Haven’t we had enough about being dictated to! In all seriousness, it’s the holiday time of the year, kids can stay up later.”

Perth’s Test crowd wasn’t great. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Perth can’t get enough of the Scorchers. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

“I accept that you want as many young people around the nation following our national cricket team, but it is that time of the year when kids can stay up,” he said.

“Don’t we all do it when the Ashes are on? Don’t we do it when there’s big football matches overseas? We do stay up and it becomes a part of the fun and the culture of it.”

With Melbourne and Sydney’s grip on the Boxing Day and New Year’s Test as strong as ever, the battle for Test matches during school and work holidays has heated up.

Canberra has only hosted once Test match in 2019, and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas lashed out at Cricket Australia for handing a West Indies Test two summers in a row.

The first Test against the West Indies gets underway on January 17.