Fans return as Big Bash break records
It’s not the pulling power of Chris Gayle with the female form which holds the most intrigue at the moment, but the charming nature of the Big Bash League.
The twenty20 competition has won over most in Australia, and even a large chuck of people in New Zealand.
While the debate has surged this week following Gayle’s failed attempt at a joke during a sideline interview with a female reporter, a remarkable story has been shuffled to the side.
At a time when sporting officials throughout Australasia scratch their heads and ponder how to get people returning to watch sport live, or even trying to halt the television viewer number decline, the BBL is bucking the trend.
They are breaking all sorts of records. The numbers are astonishing.
A mind-boggling 80,883 people showed up to watch the Melbourne BBL derby at the MCG on Saturday night, and other venues are either breaking domestic crowd records for their cities or selling the grounds out.
When Cricket Australia ventured away from their traditional State teams five years ago in favour for a revamped twenty20 competition it felt a bit naff.
Teams with names like Scorchers, Strikers and Sixers were introduced and they suited up in a bunch of uniforms which would be fitting at some sort of fluro party.
Sometimes you feel sports officials are trying too hard to manufacture interest in the product and the general public are not fooled.
But in the case of the BBL they have a new and improved formula which has the punters falling over themselves to be part of it.
Everything has aligned to allow the BBL to take over the summer sporting scene.
For a start the time of the year helps. The weather is good, most people are on holiday, and many are looking for something to do.
The conversational type commentary style of Channel 10 also seems to be a hit with most.
The likes of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Damien Fleming, Mark Waugh and Andrew Flintoff have delivered a good balance of humour and analysis.
What also should not be overlooked is the free-to-air element to it in Australia.
Channel 10 have the BBL television rights and it means the games, each and every night at this time of the year, are pumped into most homes throughout Australia. It has to build interest. There is a feeling from some in New Zealand that the decline in junior cricket numbers some years back coincided with the sport’s progression to pay TV.
All kids once had access to watching cricket on TV and they then went about trying to emulate them and also turned up in big numbers to watch games.
The BBL look to have a real family feel to their crowds and it smells of kids prompting the adults to take them to games.
Somehow New Zealand need to tap into the hype, we need to have a New Zealand-based team playing in the BBL at some stage of the future.
Cricket officials have attempted to build interest in a New Zealand domestic twenty20 competition but it has been a flop.
It is time to pour some energy into trying to get amongst the BBL, but let’s be honest, Cricket Australia hold all the cards.
A team in New Zealand is unlikely to get anywhere near the crowd numbers that they do in Australia, and giving New Zealand a helping is unlikely to feature at the top of their to do list.