Fans urged to back internationals

CRICKET Tasmania chief David Johnston has delivered a firm message to fans — start voting with your feet if you want to keep international fixtures.

While Blundstone Arena will host its first Test in three years when the West Indies visit in December, the venue missed out on the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand.

The state has also been overlooked for one of the five ODIs and three Twenty20s featuring India following the release of the full 2015-16 schedule yesterday.

Blundstone will also host two women’s 50-over matches between the Southern Stars and India on February 5 and 7.

However with Canberra’s Manuka Oval landing both a men’s and women’s ODI, the battle to be handed international games has never been hotter.

Johnston admitted crowd figures will play a part if Cricket Australia is to continue allo- cating matches to the recently redeveloped Bellerive ground.

“The competition for international cricket is getting intense now,” Johnston said.

“We have been blessed to get a Test match but missed out on a one dayer. What we have to do is show we deserve international cricket and we support it.

“It has been discussed on a few occasions that our crowds are less than would be liked. Last year the international game against England we got just over 10,500.

“There were weather issues but that was probably a little less than the numbers they [CA] would have expected.”

The domestic schedule was also released, with the Tigers starting their Sheffield Shield campaign at home for the first time since 2003.

Tasmania will host WA in a day-night match starting October 27.

For the first time a Shield match will be played outside Australia, with NSW and WA meeting in Christchurch in New Zealand to prepare potential Test players for the away series in New Zealand.

The Tigers start the Matador Cup — which will again be staged at various venues in NSW throughout October — against Queensland at North Sydney Oval on October 5.