# Biosecure 'villages' to address Seven's BBL worries
Source URL: 	https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/biosecure-big-bash-villages-set-to-address-seven-s-concerns-20200905-p55snw.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
Date: 		20200905T0631

The plans for Perth to kick off the international season with a suite of
white ball games against Virat Kohli's side followed by a historic Test
against Afghanistan are now under a cloud due after the West Australian
government's refusal to join the rest of the country in opening borders
by Christmas.

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If Perth is off the table, Adelaide and south-east Queensland will host
those games, a source familiar with the issue has indicated.

The BBL was scheduled to start on December 3, the same day as the first
Test against India, but that is expected to be moved back. CA, however,
still want the tournament played through the school holiday period and
was not looking to move the final later than its planned date of
February 6.

The ability for players to switch to and from national to BBL hubs would
help address Seven's fears of a substandard tournament. Seven West Media
chief James Warburton [recently likened a diluted BBL to grade
cricket][1] in an extraordinary attack on the game.

CA are also looking to move the limited-overs series against New
Zealand, scheduled for late January, which would avoid a clash with the
BBL.

"You'll be able to transition at different times. It's about creating
the right biosecure environments in each team, be it the national team
or the BBL village if you like, that relevant authorities and medical
experts feel like it's a safe transition," Dobson said.

The movement, however, would be tighter than pre-pandemic times when
players could be brought into the national squad at short notice.

"I certainly wouldn't expect like in the past where you can bounce back
and forward between the two," Dobson said. "We've got the best in the
business working on that, really confident we'll be able to get a good
outcome."

There is a view in some sections of the game that state politics rather
than the pandemic is the greatest problem in delivering the $300 million
season. Queensland is due to go to the polls in October, and WA in
March.

CA have not received guarantees from the WA government their players
will be able to quarantine in Perth upon return from the tour of England
in less than a fortnight, and the Indian Premier League.

CA want players to be able to complete a "soft" quarantine which would
enable their pacemen to continue training and maintain their bowling
loads during the 14-day period.

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"We are both excited and panic stricken. Excited about the prospects of
what we might have and panic stricken that it could not happen," WACA
chief Christina Matthews said on Saturday.

"Whether we have cricket or not this summer will absolutely come down to
whether our government allows it or not."

While BBL critics say the tournament is in decline, CA point to a third
year in a row of 1 million-plus attendees and an average of 180,000 more
viewers per game on TV than the AFL and NRL as evidence of its strength.

"[We're] really proud of where the BBL is. We know we need to continue
to improve and find ways to continue to make the product as strong and
healthy as possible," Dobson said.

"We've spoken a fair bit about things we need to focus on after last
season. We're really optimistic and excited about the season coming."

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Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald

Jon Pierik is cricket writer for The Age. He also covers AFL and has won
awards for his cricket and basketball writing.

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