Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder
Firstly, let me congratulate the Brisbane Heat for their victory in the WBBL. Let me also congratulate all players from all teams that took part in WBBL 2018/19. Women’s cricket in Australia has really become the shining light in the game.
The distressing piece for me is that the final of this remarkable competition was played at 10.00am on a Saturday morning to accommodate the broadcast of a Day/Night (men’s) Test match.
Usually the only thing on TV at 10.00am are cartoons, or while some parents are getting children to Saturday sport many adults are heading to their own sport or shopping, or engaged in the myriad of tasks that fill most Saturday mornings in Australia.
Can someone explain to me why this WBBL final could not have been played on Saturday evening at North Sydney Oval? A ground that has become the spiritual home of women’s cricket.
There are numerous public transport options, it’s the right size, has considerable history and a 7.00pm match start time acknowledges the quality and esteem this game and the players participating should be afforded.
The fact that there is a Day/Night Test match on at the same time is irrelevant.
In fact, there would be many viewers who may prefer to watch a WBBL final. Is that something that CA and the broadcaster don’t want to risk? Would the comparison of viewing numbers reflect a significant change in the value of the two products?
In future, I hope due consideration is given to the schedule so there is parity of esteem even though we are still a long way short of parity of pay.