It's completely insane, but it's par for the course from this group of idiots at CA.
They shut the LOI's and a third of the Big Bash behind a paywall for slightly more money in the TV deal when they could've had the whole shebang FTA, and now they're going to India and South Africa for completely meaningless LOI's during the time when people are on holidays and keen to watch a bit of cricket on the telly.
I had held out a bit of hope that they'd take a b-team to India and leave the stars at home to play in the Bash, but nope, this is the first time in living memory that we've named a 100% full strength Australian side for a bilateral ODI series. Can't upset the BCCI by putting Australian fans first now can we?
I think moving forward, we are going to have to do what they do in India for the IPL with the BBL. After the Sydney test there should be a five-week window where we don't schedule international cricket and the stars come back and bolster their BBL sides. The BBL is now filling the niche that the old tri-series filled in the 80s and 90s - something to watch in January/February when you're at the beach on holidays. It's madness our best players will be off making money for the BCCI and CSA during this period instead of being here so the next generation can watch them and get into cricket.
Like a few above, I don't really see much of a role for ODI's in our home summer moving forward. I enjoy them of course, but purists love tests and the casuals/kids are all about the BBL. The crowds were absolutely cratering over the last decade or so, and TV audiences were down. And it almost seemed like a bit of a down day when there'd be an ODI on after the tests finished and not the BBL. The BBL has taken over their role in the market, and as much as a lot of cricket fans don't like to acknowledge it, it's the stone cold truth.
