Scheduling is undoubtedly one of cricket’s biggest challenges, as administrators attempt to jam international and domestic fixtures into a crowded calendar that increasingly resembles Tetris on steroids.
Cricket Australia’s release of the 2022-2023 fixtures is a welcome distraction from the freezing temperatures that have heralded the arrival of winter and offer a glimpse of the competition that will emerge along with warmer weather (we hope).
The latest schedule does throw up a few interesting points and here are some of our takeaways from the fixtures list.
Cricket returns to the Top End
It’s been almost a decade since international men’s cricket has been played in North Queensland; the new schedule sees Australia Men play three ODIs against Zimbabwe in Townsville in August before Cairns hosts three ODIs against New Zealand in September.
The men’s cricket season is gradually shifting the weight of international matches to spring and early summer, clearing space in late summer and autumn for the BBL and possible away series crammed in ahead of the IPL in April and May.
It may give more opportunities for international matches to be played in warmer states like Queensland and even the Northern Territory in future years and the locals reception of the upcoming ODIs will be watched with interest.
Perth the new Brisbane
The Gabba has long been the traditional first stop burial ground for touring Test sides but that run could end for the foreseeable future. Perth’s Optus Stadium will host the first Test of the summer against West Indies followed by the day-night Test in Adelaide. Perth’s time zone means the first two Tests in early December will be played in broadcast-friendly time slots on the east coast before schools break up for the summer holidays.
It’s a welcome move for TV rights holders and could become a permanent arrangement, with the Gabba unavailable in subsequent years while it is refurbished for Olympic hosting duties.
Whether the move is popular with players and fans may depend on how the Test team fares at Optus Stadium after enjoying such strong starts to home series at the ‘Gabbatoir’.
Scarce women’s internationals
Last season was a boon for women’s cricket in Australia. The national side played two multi-format series against India and England but this summer they will play just six days of cricket at home. Meg Lanning’s team face Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20Is in the second half of January with the WBBL providing the bulk of televised cricket in October and November, when it will be competing with the men’s T20 World Cup for eyeballs and headlines. Pakistan women haven’t played a Test since 2004 and, for now at least, the longest form of the game is seen as a step too far for the current side against the world’s best side in all formats.
Australia will, however, travel to India for five T20Is in December. The bilateral series is not part of any ICC qualification, so the fact both boards are willing to invest in such an unusual tour is intriguing and suggests that perhaps, at a time when a Women’s IPL is becoming more likely, the BCCI is warming to the idea that high level women’s cricket can be commercially successful, although the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February is clearly also a factor.
Cricket Australia is leaving a window clear in March, which is when the WIPL would be played, although it isn’t clear whether the first tournament will be played in 2023 or 2024. Watch this space.
South Africa ODIs squeezed in
Australia men will play three ODIs against South Africa in mid-January after the three-Test series concludes at the SCG on January 8. This series has been an awkward hangover from the past couple of problematic pandemic years as boards scramble to fit in the various matches required by the Future Touring Program (FTP) in its final year.
Cricket South Africa would rather the matches be played later so that their international stars will be available for the new T20 domestic tournament. It would also allow Australia’s big names in white ball cricket to feature in more of the BBL, but the ODIs must be played before the IPL window in April and May and Australia’s tour of India in February and March leaves no other option than to play immediately after the Tests
