Big Bash favourite mocks 'cooked' fixture in deleted post
Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn took aim an an elongated fixture the Big Bash League in a since deleted tweet, suggesting the league may risk wearing out its welcome.
The BBL fixture has been a point of contention among players, fans, and pundits alike, with many criticising the competition for being too long.
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While the same amount of home and away games and finals will be played in BBL10 compared to last season, the competition will begin earlier and conclude slightly later.
The season is set to begin on December 3, compared to last season’s December 17 start date.
Fox Sports published a screenshot of Lynn’s since-deleted tweet, in which the Heat slogger wrote “the Golden Goose has been cooked again”.
Lynn has previously been a vocal critic of the length of the BBL season, saying last year that the 14-week season was too long.
While the Heat struggled for much of last season, with the length of the competition only compounding their problems, Lynn said every team was feeling the burn.
“I think 14 games is too many,” he said.
“You do get a few breaks in between, here and there, but it just drags out.
“It’s a bit of a roller coaster, you can go in and out of form so quickly. Yeah, we’re down the bottom end, but talking to the players around the other squads, there are some tired boys.”
Big Bash fixture released amid COVID-19 questions
Both the BBL and WBBL schedules may potentially have to change, depending on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governing body is mapping out a range of contingency plans, having already included a three-week hub in the middle of the WBBL season.
"While we know that the challenging, fast-changing coronavirus pandemic could ultimately mean revisions to the schedule, there is nonetheless a lot to like about the way both competitions are shaping up," head of the BBL Alistair Dobson said.
There are going to be several nights when Big Bash matches are going head-to-head with day-night Test cricket and possibly a few ODIs. The exact India tour schedule is still being haggled over but clashes are inevitable. There's BBL every night except Christmas.
— Rick Eyre on cricket (@rickeyrecricket) July 15, 2020
"There are factors outside the league itself which could impact the fixture at a later date.
"That said, at this time, we are happy with the fixture as it stands.
"It should ensure that more BBL matches are played in prime time and enable the regular season to again finish inside the school holidays which was a key objective, particularly in light of the busy international schedule planned for the coming summer."
CA is yet to finalise rule changes, with the most notable shift likely to be a player draft for international signings.
A total of 26 WBBL games will be broadcast live on Seven and Fox Sports; three more than last season.
With AAP
