You like India? We'll give you more India.
https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...a/news-story/3f9b59bbb2690b0dd300fe3a2fead876
Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts has revealed next summer’s Test series against powerhouse nation India could be extended to five matches to help compensate losses for the coronavirus epidemic.
The additional fixture against India would presumably come at the expense of Australia’s historic maiden Test against Afghanistan. Broadcast revenue from a five-day match against the world’s number one Test nation would be considerably larger than that of minnows Afghanistan, which would most likely be a bland, one-sided affair.
Australia and India have not taken part in a five-match Test series since 1992, before their rivalry had even been labelled the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. An extra match against India would also allow the Gabba in Brisbane and the newly-developed Perth Stadium to both host blockbuster contests.
If the Test series against India does not go ahead due to the COVID-19 epidemic, CA would reportedly lose $300 million in broadcast revenue, according to the
Herald Sun.
Roberts declared he had already discussed the possibility of an extra Test match with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
“If you contemplate the prospect of the international season in particular being affected, we have an issue of hundreds of millions of dollars on our hands,” Roberts told reporters in a teleconference on Tuesday.
“So it’s very important that … we do everything possible to stage the season.
“Whether or not there are people at the venue or not … we will explore all viable options.
“Fortunately we have a little bit of time to work through the different scenarios with the India series.
“But we’re not ruling out any possibility for that at this point in time.”
Roberts also admitted there is a possibility all fixtures against India could be played at a single venue without spectators, most likely Adelaide Oval.
The Daily Telegraph reported the South Australian Cricket Association had put its premier venue forward as the perfect ground to host cricket if interstate travel remains a difficult barrier next summer.
India achieved a remarkable 2-1 series victory when Virat Kohli’s men toured Australia in 2018/19, the rematch proving to be a highly-anticipated contest now that superstar batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner have returned from their ball-tampering suspensions.
Australia is also scheduled to host the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in October, with 16 national teams expected to take part. It is highly likely the tournament will be played behind close doors without spectators.
However, Roberts believes CA would not suffer as “significant” a financial loss if the ICC event is abandoned.
We might not generate financial returns from that event that are as significant as the international cricket season,” Roberts said.
“But what we do know is that the bigger returns from the broadcast rights around the event that are generated by the ICC are very important to all of our counterparts around the cricket world.
“So it’s incumbent on us to do everything possible to stage and host the T20 World Cup.”
On Thursday, Roberts announced CA would stand down the majority of its staff on about 20 per cent of their usual pay for the remainder of the financial year, and players have been warned to brace for looming pay cuts.
CA has already suffered a $20 million hit due to the coronavirus epidemic, and Roberts admitted that figure would climb into the “hundreds of millions” should India not tour.
The organisation’s dire financial situation comes as a surprise to many, considering CA signed a landmark broadcast deal worth $1.2 billion in 2018. Four years ago, CA had cash and investments worth approximately $270 million, but that figure had dropped to about $97 million in March this year.
“On one level, cricket is fortunate in terms of the time of year when the coronavirus situation hit,” Roberts said.
“On another level, cricket is unfortunate in that it has hit us at the lowest point of our four-year cash cycle.
“We were completely on track with our plan for the year until coronavirus hit.
“The unfortunate reality of that is we’re estimating that we have taken a $20m impact thus far … And we have to anticipate, given the unknown and fast-moving nature of this situation, that there will be more risks than that $20m.”
With AAP
