‘To the detriment of our game’: Cricket Australia ignores NSW protests over BBL sale

Cricket Australia will plough on with plans to sell off Big Bash League clubs in defiance of vocal protests by Cricket New South Wales, after the CA board green lit the next stage of the process to test the market with potential investors in Australia and overseas.

The board, chaired by former NSW Premier Mike Baird, met on Monday night for an update from chief executive Todd Greenberg and did not blink in the face of calls from NSW for “due consideration” of an “alternative strategy” sent to CA and the states last week.

In a letter to its own member associations, NSW explained why it was opposed to CA’s approach.

“In our view, it is crucial that the Australian cricket community retain control over cricket in Australia,” CNSW chair John Knox and chief executive Lee Germon wrote last week.

“We believe that allowing in external investors would be to the long-term detriment of all aspects of our game, including player availability and development, talent realisation, and community programs.

“The BBL plays a significant role in the development and promotion of our game. The profits from the BBL are used by the States today to grow grassroots participation, as well as to develop high performance pathways and players.

“The Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder teams drive participation, fandom, and high-performance cricket. External owners of these teams would not be aligned to these goals. The reduction in profits retained by Cricket NSW could therefore reduce our ability to invest in grassroots, pathways and high-performance, to the detriment of New South Wales and Australian cricket now and for the long term.”

Three state figures contacted by this masthead but speaking on condition of anonymity indicated they doubted the NSW alternative strategy would change entrenched positions, although one conceded there remained many “unanswered questions” in what is still a non-binding process.

While CA is still awaiting a positive response from Queensland Cricket, the central governing body is confident that is only a matter of days away.

From there, CA and the assenting state associations would look at expressions of interest and valuations collected via Barrenjoey Capital Partners in Australia and the Raine Group for overseas investors – the same firm that oversaw the sale of clubs in the Hundred competition in the UK.

There are no plans for CA to pause the process for deeper discussion of the NSW strategy, though CA accepts that NSW has the ability to speak separately with other state associations – the effective owners of CA – and attempt to talk them around to a different point of view.

“All states were asked to inform Cricket Australia whether they wished to proceed to the next phase, which involved testing the market and seeking valuations for our clubs,” Knox and Germon wrote.

“We informed Cricket Australia that we do not believe it is in the best interests of NSW and Australian cricket at this time, financially or strategically, to privatise the BBL teams, including the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers.”

Cricket Victoria, which had been an early dissenter to the idea of private investment before flipping its position during the summer, has scheduled a meeting with its own state delegates – Premier clubs, sub-district and regional associations – to discuss the state’s position on Thursday night.

Baird, who was named the new chief executive of NRMA Group on Friday, explained to this masthead in September why he felt that private investment in the BBL was necessary.

“Whether in sport or business, if you have competitors that are active, and providing opportunities, you need to consider that,” he said.

“We’re very confident in the BBL and WBBL, we think they still remain one of the best leagues in the world, but we can’t be complacent, and what we’re seeing are shifts in terms of focus and salaries, and unless we respond, we have a risk of being left behind. That’s something we need to wrestle with.

“The [overseas] investment in players is significant, it’s at an all-time high, and as an administrative body you’ve got to respond to that. So part of what we’re weighing up is how to stay competitive, how do we make the best league for our fans and players, and there’s undoubtedly work to do as the rest of the world is moving.”

Baird left the CNSW board to join CA in 2021, and became the CA chair in early 2023.

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