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or the third part of the 2020 in review series, Ministry of Sport continues to highlight the top five stories from each major sport in 2020, this time looking at Cricket.
5
Cricket Australia announced they had incurred a net deficit of $45.9 million for the financial year ending June 30, 2020.
Cricket Australia director, Paul Green, revealed the financial cost to cricket could be up to $120 million in the financial year ending June 30, 2021.
4
The Australian Premier League (APL) was announced at the start of December, with Australian cricket legend, Ian Healy joined by a number of high-profile owners set to bring a fresh approach to cricket in Australia.
The new competition is set to rival Cricket Australia’s existing structure and aims to create new pathways for players to showcase their talent in hopes of boosting the standard of cricket in Australia.
3
Cricket Australia announced Vodafone as its new naming rights partner for men’s Test matches, as part of a three-year partnership worth between $4.5 million and $5 million per season.
The deal also saw Vodafone partner with the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and the Australian Women’s Cricket Team, which proved to be a key aspect of the deal.
2
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia CEO, Kevin Roberts, resigned following his initial response to the pandemic.
It was reported the Cricket Australia board was not happy with Roberts’ decision to stand down 80% of Cricket Australia staff in April and flag a reduction in funding by 45%, meaning over 150 staff members of state and territory organisations would lose their jobs as well.
1
Despite all of that, there was one story that topped all and dominated headlines for the latter half of the year in the cricket world, when Channel Seven announced it had begun the process of terminating its $450 million, $82 million per year broadcast deal with Cricket Australia.
This led to Seven threatening to withhold scheduled broadcast payments with the free-to-air broadcaster believing Cricket Australia would be unable to deliver “a compelling summer of cricket”.
The feud was sparked by Seven CEO, James Warburton, labelling Cricket Australia as the “most incompetent administration I’ve ever worked with.”
Seven’s main gripe with the adjusted summer schedule of cricket was the changes to the international calendar that would mean key international stars would be unavailable for Big Bash League (BBL) clubs due to COVID-19 quarantine requirements.
As of the start of December, the latest developments in the broadcast war have seen Cricket Australia interim CEO, Nick Hockley, say Seven’s handling of the matter has been “disappointing”.
To view part two of the Ministry of Sport 2020 in review series looking at the top five stories of 2020 for Football, click here, otherwise, keep an eye out on the Ministry of Sport website and social media channels for the next in the series.
