Australia CEO mulling involvement in pitch preparation as another 2-day Ashes Test set to bring further financial loss.
‘Short Tests are bad for business’ – Australia CEO hints at intervening on pitches.
Todd Greenberg, CEO of Cricket Australia, stated that “short Tests are bad for business” and acknowledged that, despite a record audience, he had a restless night after a 20-wicket day on Boxing Day.
Despite the fact that the series was over, CA had been hoped to smash attendance records for the whole Boxing Day Test between Australia and England because of the exceptional demand throughout the series and the quantity of tickets that were pre-sold throughout the first three days.
However, after losing the two-day Test in Perth by over AUD$5 million (US$3.3 million) when 19 wickets were taken on the first day, CA is facing yet another huge defeat if the MCG Test concludes in less than six sessions.
Speaking on SEN prior to the start of day two, Greenberg was asked whether 20 wickets in a day was too many.
“The short answer for that in my opinion is yes,” Greenberg said. “As mesmerising and fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket clearly to go for longer.
“A simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business. I can’t be much more blunt than that. So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball. I thought yesterday slightly favoured the ball. The batters have some ownership in some of that, it’s not all around the pitch, but we’ve got some challenges.”
Greenberg was asked whether his administration would have a larger say in the pitch preparation for Tests in Australia in the short-term to avoid short matches.
“Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation and allowed the staff and the conditions and those characteristics to be presented,” Greenberg said. “But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.
“I’m not suggesting we’re going to go around talking to groundstaff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer.”