Glenn McGrath has warned Cricket Australia executives in regards to the hazard of cramming extra fixtures into an already busy calendar, insisting they may flip followers away from the sport.
Australia beat the West Indies by 164 runs within the opening Take a look at of the summer season in Perth in entrance of a largely abandoned Optus Stadium.
A mixed crowd of simply over 42,500 handed by the turnstiles on the 60,000-capacity venue in the course of the 5 days of play.
Simply over 42,000 followers mixed attended the 5 days of play in the course of the first Take a look at of the sequence between Australia and the West Indies
The 7,846 crowd that attended day 4 on a Saturday was one of many lowest ever attendances for a day of Take a look at cricket in Perth, regardless of not falling on a faculty day or a conventional work day.
It continued a worrying development for the sport in Australian cricket, with sparse crowds additionally a speaking level throughout Australia’s latest 3-0 ODI whitewash of England and, albeit to a lesser extent, in the course of the T20 World Cup.
Solely 10,406 rocked up for the ultimate match of the three-match sequence on the MCG – the bottom crowd for an ODI involving Australia on the iconic venue.
And McGrath, speaking forward of the TMS Tour of the UK with Jonathan Agnew in April subsequent yr, believes squeezing extra video games in an already saturated calendar may very well be detrimental to the game.
Glenn McGrath believes cricket directors must be cautious in regards to the scheduling
‘I believe the powers that be actually need to watch out that each sequence and each match has to imply one thing,’ he advised Each day Mail Australia.
‘You must be enjoying for one thing. These three ODIs in opposition to England simply appeared to be thrown in with no actual thought, so I believe that is the hazard [of having too much cricket].
‘Three ODIs after an enormous event just like the T20 World Cup that basically did not rely for a lot [wasn’t a great advert for the game].
‘I believe they need to be actually cautious not to do this an excessive amount of as a result of the crowds confirmed [the lack of interest].’
Solely 7,846 followers attended day 4 of Australia’s first Take a look at in opposition to the West Indies, one of many smallest-ever crowds for a day of Take a look at cricket in Perth
The three-game ODI sequence in opposition to England final month was additionally tormented by poor attendances
Admittedly, crowds for the second Take a look at in opposition to the West Indies have been far more healthy, with a mixed 51,000 spectators attending the primary two days.
Some have sought to place paltry attendances all the way down to the Aussie group’s stance on social points – Pat Cummins’ group took a knee for the primary time in a Take a look at forward of the sequence opener in opposition to the West Indies.
The suggestion the ball-tampering scandal of 2018 irreparably tarnished the Take a look at group’s repute within the eyes of its followers has additionally been proposed as a proof.
So does McGrath consider Australians have fallen out of affection with their cricket group?
Some have put down the poor attendances to the poor repute of the Aussie group following the ball-tampering scandal that concerned David Warner and Steve Smith in 2018 (above)
‘I believe the Australian group must consider the general public notion.’ he defined.
‘On the finish of the day you want that public help and so they received that again after what occurred in South Africa in 2018 and now it is about sustaining it.’
Cricket Australia have been additionally closely criticised for scheduling the beginning of the Perth Take a look at on a Wednesday and for an absence of promotion.
The beginning date was a results of the tight scheduling window following the Twenty20 World Cup and three-match ODI sequence in opposition to England, which was itself crowbarred into the one accessible slot on the calendar.
The group’s social justice stance has additionally been instructed because the issue behind poor attendances, because the Aussies took the knee for the primary time earlier than a Take a look at match final week
The proceed development of franchise cricket has solely exacerbated the issue. The IPL now stretches to 70 video games performed over a two-month interval.
This yr it kicked off on March 26, proper in the course of England’s third Take a look at within the West Indies and solely a day after Australia had wrapped up its three-Take a look at sequence in Pakistan.
India’s Take a look at gamers solely had a 10-day turnaround from the tip of their sequence in opposition to Sri Lanka.
In the meantime, the Massive Bash League will get underway on December 13, virtually a month earlier than Australia’s Take a look at sequence in opposition to South Africa ends on January 8.
McGrath believes cricket directors should guarantee every sequence is significant, versus the three-match ODI sequence that Australia and England performed after the T20 World Cup (above)
And McGrath instructed that whereas there was room for all three codecs to thrive, cricket directors have been susceptible to overkill.
‘Clearly with the IPL being longer, the worldwide cricket schedule goes to be fairly tight and needs to be managed very well,’ he defined.
‘I believe there’s quite a lot of stress on that powers that be to get that [the right balance] proper.
‘I believe the powers that be and the associations actually must be cautious. The schedule is fairly tight and we will not be having tournaments that do not imply something.’
Take a look at Match Particular Stay – The Ashes Particular, with Jonathan Agnew and Glenn McGrath, excursions the UK from April 5. For tickets and venue data go to www.fane.co.uk/TMS
