Swell hopes of gathering for fun Bash

CROWDS could hit capacity at Big Bash games in Queensland and Sydney this summer as the doors to live sport continue to open after a 2020 spent watching on TV.

Tickets will be released for Big Bash venues in every state, and while capacities could start with a cap of 50 per cent for early games in Tasmania and Canberra, the move into Queensland and Adelaide, then Melbourne, Sydney and Perth should signal the numbers to grow.

Cricket Australia will release tickets for matches in stages as they continue discussions with state governments about the changing landscape, hoping for the potential to get in as many people as possible.

Tasmanian officials confirmed crowds would be capped at 50 per cent for games in Hobart, where the season will open next Thursday when the Hobart Hurricanes play the Sydney Sixers, and Launceston.

But a full house for the final State of Origin in Brisbane last week is a strong indication crowds will be in large numovers bers when the BBL gets to Queensland just before Christmas. Daily crowds of 23,000 are expected for the first Test in Adelaide, starting on December 17, as fears of a second coronavirus wave ease. That could also increase for the first BBL game at the Adelaide Oval on December 28.

Tickets for the final run of games to be played in Melbourne, which will see 11 matches in 12 days at the MCG and Marvel Stadium, and Sydney, which hosts 11 at the SCG and Showground Stadium, won’t go on sale until December 22. By that time the picture of how many will be allowed into those grounds should be clearer.

The crowd for the Boxing Day Test could hit 40,000, or more, after Victoria cleared its 28th day with no COVID-19 positives on Friday. More than 20,000 will attend the limited internationals between Australia and India in Sydney, painting a pretty picture for those wanting to attend the BBL when it arrives there in January.

“The first release of tickets is another major milestone in the build-up to a huge season,” Big Bash boss Alistair Dobson, pictured, said.

The full fixture list for the Big Bash was locked in last week, with every team getting to play home games, removing any need for them to spend the whole tournament in hubs as was first feared.

Officials also hope to give those teams who earn them home games for the finals which begin on January 29.

“Our ambition is to play the finals series, as we would in a normal year, with the teams that earn the right to host a final … and play them in front of their home fans,” Dobson said this week. “That said, we know how quickly this thing moves, and we do have the right to lock that final in and play it at a different venue if logistics don‘t allow.

“But the plan at this stage is that the teams that earn the right to host a final get that opportunity.”