Did You Know There’s a T20 Series with Sri Lanka Going on Right Now?
Did You Know There’s a T20 Series with Sri Lanka Going on Right Now?
DYOR Dave
Tonight sees the second of five T20’s between Australia and Sri Lanka, but after a stellar summer of tests, followed by some spicy controversy, there seems to be little interest surrounding the fixture.
With minimal promotion of the series, one would be forgiven for not even knowing the game was on, especially considering it isn’t even being shown on free-to-air TV.
Despite paying over $5 million for the rights to the cricket, Seven are choosing to show Border Security and Terminator alongside their coverage of the Winter Olympics. No room for cricket apparently.
While T20 is accepted by the dribbler as a gimmick, a manufactured and sanitised version of real cricket, that doesn’t mean the format is completely useless.
As a more easily consumable version of the game, it attracts a lot of young fans into the game, and helps build the passion for cricket in generations to come.
Australia are the current world champions of T20, and our squad has some of the best players in the world, yet these matches are treated like they don’t matter.
In the sub-continent, a match like this would sell out instantly, much like the India Vs Pakistan match at the upcoming World Cup in Australia sold out in 5 minutes.
For the more seasoned cricketing dribbler, two exciting games of Sheffield shield played out during the week, with the NSW vs QLD match drawing a healthy crowd for portions of the day.
Once again, these games attracted barely any attention and were shown only on Kayo streamed in poor quality with the commentators doing their best to bring the atmosphere.
If Cricket Australia wants to grow the game, they need to invest in more than just 5 tests and a season of big bash every summer.
When Australia toured Bangladesh in 2021, some matches weren’t even broadcast in Australia at all, leaving fans with no other option than to turn to pirated streaming sites.
Last night saw a packed-out Parramatta stadium host the NRL All Stars game, and it was clear the thirst for Rugby League was as strong as ever.
Yet the SCG has struggled to fill their seats for these matches, despite this being the last chance to see live international cricket until next summer.
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