Don't need the Best Players?

The head of Australian broadcaster Channel Ten's Big Bash League (BBL) has weighed into the club-versus-country debate, saying the addition of Australia's international stars to the Twenty20 competition would make only a "marginal" difference to TV ratings.  The current season’s BBL is heading towards its climax amid calls for Cricket Australia (CA) to create a window in its schedule so the likes of Australian players Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc can play in the event (PTG 202910272, 24 January 2017), but the network says it is happy with the current arrangement.

The issue of the country's best players being made available for the BBL has again been a talking point this summer and will continue to be while international matches are scheduled alongside the domestic Twenty20 tournament.  CA remains committed to keeping international cricket as the priority, with one insider saying franchises needed to get used to losing their best players to the national team just as states have in the Sheffield Shield.

Former captain Ricky Ponting, who is part of Ten's commentary team, Melbourne Stars captain David Hussey and Melbourne Renegades spinner Brad Hogg are among those calling for CA to allow their internationals to play in the BBL. India's top players are all available to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League whereas Australia's three biggest names – Smith, Warner, Starc – rarely play in the BBL.

Ten's head of sport David Barham said: "I'm very comfortable with the way it is – you get the best of both worlds.  Would you love David Warner and Steve Smith, would it make a difference to ratings? Probably not.  Truthfully, I'd rather have AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli play next year than a couple of the Australian players. You see the Australian players all the time – in Test matches, T20s and one-dayers.  I don't want to sound disrespectful in any way to the Australian players; if it was possible, fantastic. Does it really matter? I'm not so sure”.

Barham conceded better players would make for a better competition but added it "depends on how you define better”.  "Could it be any more entertaining than it is? It's a pretty good entertainment product as it is. In a perfect world, they're all available but what we have now is working really well. I love celebrating what we have”.  There will be another BBL-international clash next year with the BBL scheduled alongside the Ashes Tests and the ensuing One Day International series against England.