Tasmanians left short-changed by cricket fixture dud, says Premier Will Hodgman

Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman will take the state’s appalling international cricket fixture up with Cricket Australia with the state left “short-changed” by the dud schedule.

Tasmania's Premier Will Hodgman. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

TASMANIAN Premier Will Hodgman will take the state’s appalling international cricket fixture up with Cricket Australia with the state left “short-changed” by the dud schedule.

As revealed in the Mercury , Blundstone Arena’s sole international fixture will be a men’s one-day game between Australia and New Zealand on March 20, clashing with the opening round of the 2020 AFL season.

There are no international women’s games scheduled at all for the state.

Mr Hodgman said the poor scheduling could be detrimental to the game.

“There’s no doubt Tasmanians will feel short-changed by next season’s fixture, and it’s something I am raising with Cricket Australia,” Mr Hodgman said.

“With a number other sports wanting to increase their content in Tasmania there’s a lot of competition, and cricket could well be caught behind.”

As a result Tasmania is being urged to look outside the traditional sports of cricket and football for elite sporting content.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the state had been treated poorly by the likes of CA and the AFL for too long.

TICT's Luke Martin. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“We should be looking at other sports,” Mr Martin said.

“We should aspire to get the Wallabies down here, or again A-League, maybe it is time to be aggressive about pursuing other sports and trying to get more, especially at Bellerive.

“That is a world class venue in every which way and I think a proper rugby game would be a massive success and it would be a bit of history around the Wallabies playing in Tasmania for the first time.

“Maybe it is time we became proactive.”

Cricket Tasmania chief executive Nick Cummins did his best to defend the fixture, saying it was the AFL encroaching into cricket season rather than vice versa.

“If you look at TV ratings and engagement, cricket is Australia’s favourite sport and in that regards this is an international, this is a big game, it is one of three, it is against a very good team, and I think if there is a concern it is for AFL going up against Australia verses New Zealand,” Cummins said.

Cricket Tasmania CEO Nick Cummins. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

He also said Tasmanians were getting bang for their buck following the $32 million redevelopment of Blundstone Arena, $15 million of which came from the State Government and another $15 million from the Federal Government.

Cummins said the redevelopment was for sport in Hobart, not just cricket, and had allowed the city to attract and retain North Melbourne to play home games at Blundstone Arena, as well as BBL, WBBL and international cricket.

MORE CRICKET:

CRICKET TAS DEFENDS PYKE SACKING

WHO AND WHEN DO AUSTRALIA PLAY AT CRICKET WORLD CUP?

CRICKET TAKES ON FOOTY: SUMMER SCHEDULE REVEALED

“We are unable to have those conversations if effectively we are trying to host it out of the Clarence Football Club change rooms so I think we are getting bang for buck,” he said.

The fixture, announced yesterday, comes after the state received no Australian men’s games for next year’s ICC World T20 World Cup, and no games at all for the women’s equivalent, despite a $3 million payment from the Tasmanian Government.

Shadow sports spokesman David O’Byrne said the state was being let down.

“After the disappointing lack of World Cup games scheduled in Hobart, today’s announcement of one international game in late March is yet another example of failure from the Hodgman Government,” Mr O”Byrne said.

“The Government has again failed to go into bat for cricket loving Tasmanians by not demanding regular, high-stakes games at Blundstone Arena.”