The fourth Test match of the Ashes series, Australia vs England, is practically over in two days’ time and this is because 20 wickets fell on the first day itself. Now, a very seam-friendly MCG pitch has put Cricket Australia in a difficult financial position as the Test match is a threat to their bottom line.
Record crowd of more than 94,000 on Boxing Day did not help MCG’s first day much at all; it is still going to be a huge loss. The situation is similar to the one in Perth where a two-day Test caused an AUD$5 million (US $3.3 million) deficit.
Cricket Australia CEO projects massive loss after MCG Test
The CEO Todd Greenberg seems to be quite sure about the future financial situation of CA and hence has very frankly declared that “short Tests are bad for business.” He reflected on the stunning first day and admitted he had a sleepless night.
“I didn’t sleep well last night, put it that way. It was an amazing day of Test cricket, so for that record number of people who were here, boy, they’ve had an experience. But our challenge is to make sure we can continue those experiences day after day. That’s the challenge for all of us,” Greenberg said.
CEO blames the MCG pitch for it being “too favourable for seamers.”
Greenberg acknowledged that the high number of wickets created a problem. He was advocating for a more equal batting and bowling. He admitted the batters were part of the problem, but he also said the MCG pitch had given the bowlers considerable help and had been very hard on the batters thus drawing the ire of the commentators and the experts for being biased towards the fast bowlers.
“One straightforward saying I would employ is short Tests are detrimental to business. I cannot be much more straightforward than this. Thus, I want a bit more even distribution between the bat and the ball. I thought the previous day slightly favoured the ball. The batters are partly responsible, it is not totally on the pitch, but we do have some problems,” Greenberg said.
This situation might trigger a change in Cricket Australia’s conventional viewpoint regarding pitch management. “In the past, we have adopted a very hands-off policy,” Greenberg said. The CEO did not guarantee directly intervening with the ground staff but stressed the necessity for a “very careful eye” on the expectations.
The potential loss of revenue comes at an especially difficult moment for Cricket Australia, which has been implementing internal cost-cutting measures recently. The organization is now looking for private investors for the Big Bash League.
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