Talking Point: Tasmania can’t keep taking the cricket crumbs

TONY HARRISON: Government and Cricket Tasmania should work to secure a long-term international cricket programming agreement with Cricket Australia

BE NOTICED: Tasmania deserves to get guaranteed games at Blundstone Arena.

OVER the next 12 months, Australia will host a near record number of international cricket matches, with Sri Lanka and India A women touring for matches against Australia, men’s Tests and T20s against Pakistan, T20s versus Sri Lanka, and Tests and a One-Day international series against New Zealand.

There’ll also be a women’s T20 Tri Series involving India, England and Australia, leading into the ICC’s women’s Twenty20 World Cup that will be contested by 10 nations in February and March 2020. The men’s T20 World Cup will follow in October and November of that year.

So, from all this, what international cricket will Tasmania see at Blundstone Arena next summer? Unfortunately, just one 50-over fixture, with Australia playing New Zealand on Friday March 20 next year. This is a big disappointment for Tasmanian cricket fans and particularly so — following the dramatic growth in women’s cricket in this state — is the failure to program any matches here involving Australia’s world-beating women’s team with not even one T20 World Cup fixture.

By contrast, Canberra’s Manuka Oval, now seemingly our biggest competitor for international content, will host the Prime Minister’s XI match against Sri Lanka, an Australia versus Pakistan T20, three women’s One-Day Internationals and five games in the Women’s T20 World Cup. And this follows a full program last summer that included the first-ever Test match played in the ACT.

Of course, Blundstone Arena will host matches in the men’s Twenty20 World Cup, unfortunately it seems, not any involving Australia, but those matches will all be in the second half of October 2020, almost a year and a half away.

The more worrying aspect of all this is that according to reports out of Canberra, the ACT Government, Cricket ACT and Cricket Australia are said to be close to signing an agreement for elite cricket, including international matches, to be played at Manuka Oval.

This is precisely the type of agreement I sought to secure for Tasmania during my time on the Cricket Australia Board, but this was always opposed by the national body’s then senior management.

International program guarantees already exist with other states and venues, and with Canberra pushing hard, as a one-sixth owner of Australian cricket, it is only right Tasmania is guaranteed a fair share of international cricket each summer.

I am well aware of the challenges and difficulties in programming international cricket, with the demands of the state and territory associations, media partner requirements, and the need to grow the game by spreading matches around the country.

But the contribution Tasmania has made to Australian cricket, both on and off the field, and the support that has been provided by successive State Governments, should be recognised and rewarded.

It’s also reported that the ACT is paying to bring international cricket to Canberra. Tasmania has rejected the prospect of entering into a bidding war to secure what rightfully should be ours. I have always opposed governments paying for Australia’s international cricket matches, but in fairness, Cricket Australia is well aware that the Tasmanian Government pays to host AFL football and the V8 Supercars, so Cricket Australia’s view is, why not?

Cricket Tasmania rightly says it would rather see the State Government provide its funds to improve facilities, particularly for the increasing numbers of girls and women playing our game, to support junior development programs and promote the rapidly improving Hurricanes and Tigers’ women’s teams. Good points which I support.

But I also believe we can have both. If it is not already doing so, the Government and Cricket Tasmania should be working together to secure a long-term international cricket programming agreement with Cricket Australia. Such an agreement must guarantee Australian men’s and women’s matches at Blundstone Arena each summer and in seasons where Australia plays more than five Tests, the sixth Test must be played in Hobart.

The State Government’s not insignificant standing and influence can play a major role in securing this guarantee agreement. The fact that Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck is now the Federal Sports Minister would not have gone unnoticed at Cricket Australia’s Jolimont headquarters, and perhaps he can be conscripted to aid the Tasmanian cause. Tasmania must stand up before it misses out in the increasing competition for future programming. We can’t continue just accepting what at times seems like crumbs after other venues are satisfied, because the time will come when it is too late.

A guaranteed future international program will provide certainty for fans, like Victorians know their Test will start on Boxing Day and NSW knows its Test will be the first of the New Year. Meanwhile, Tasmania suffers the current ad hoc announcements each season where local officials and fans simply wait and trust that we will see the Australian men and hopefully the women at some time during the summer.

A guaranteed program would also provide Cricket Tasmania with certainty to plan promotions, grow attendances and provide incentives for sponsorships.

Success in achieving this, without compromising the State Government’s budget or Cricket Tasmania’s priorities, will be very welcomed by all Tasmanian cricket fans as it would be, I suggest, by most Tasmanians.

Tony Harrison is a former chairman of Cricket Tasmania and in October retired after 16 years as a director of Cricket Australia. He received an Order of Australia for his services to cricket in the most recent Queen’s Birthday Honours.