The opening of Cricket Australia’s worldwide season dangers being fully overshadowed by the NRL, with the primary match scheduled for Sydney on grand closing day.
Cricket Australia confirmed their worldwide fixtures for 2023-24 on Sunday night time, with the opening match a ladies’s Twenty20 between Australia and West Indies at North Sydney Oval on October 1.
That recreation will end solely hours earlier than the NRL grand closing, asking followers to decide on which occasion to attend and viewers to modify off rugby league’s grand closing lead-up video games.
CA take the view that in a cluttered schedule a Sunday begin in Sydney is the suitable method to go, hopeful they’ll profit from Channel Seven selling the match throughout the AFL grand closing the day gone by.
They are additionally adamant October 1 must be the beginning of the cricket season, that scheduling clashes with different sports activities are inevitable and that their world champion ladies’s group can win out.
But privately there are considerations from some over the numerous challenges the game will face selling the T20 match in Sydney, with a second recreation to be performed the day after the grand closing.
Australia vice-captain Alyssa Healy was hopeful the scenario wouldn’t affect crowds, whereas acknowledging there may very well be some hurdles to beat in drawing followers.
“It could be (a problem), maybe we might get washed out a little bit in that,” Healy instructed AAP.
“But in saying that, it’s the start of the cricket summer. So hopefully that is spoken about that week.
“Yes, the headlines will likely be dominated by AFL and NRL, however they’re anyway.
“Come and watch some world-class athletes do their thing at North Sydney if the NRL is not your thing.
“I do not suppose we have to compete in opposition to the NRL grand closing, we will work round it.”
It is not the first time concerns have been raised around the scheduling of women’s fixtures.
Players were unhappy when they were switched to play on January 26 last summer, with Indigenous woman Ashleigh Gardner vocalising her opposition to the decision.
Another match in the same series, against Pakistan at North Sydney Oval, clashed with the Sydney Smash in the BBL.
There is some good news for the women in the upcomng fixture, however.
After three T20s and three ODIs against West Indies early in the summer, they host a multi-format series against South Africa in January and February.
Included is a day-night one-day international at a major venue, Adelaide Oval, on February 3, and a Test on the pacy WACA wicket from February 15.
The men’s summer will begin with the first Test against Pakistan in Perth from December 14, before the teams meet in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the New Year’s Test at the SCG.
As confirmed last week, Adelaide will host a red-ball Test against West Indies from January 17, before a day-night Test at the Gabba from January 25.
It means all Tests will fall in the holiday period.
White-ball gamers will likely be out there for the whole males’s BBL, earlier than they enter camp for 3 ODIs and three T20s in opposition to West Indies between February 2 and 13.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
