Cricket Australia whacked by SA premier over ‘disgraceful’ summer scheduling
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has scolded Cricket Australia, describing the scheduling of the upcoming West Indies tour as “disgraceful” in a stunning attack on the governing body.
In the midst of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan, concerns have been raised over the potential lopsided nature of the upcoming Windies series.
The former powerhouse is now the eighth-ranked side in the red-ball format and only toured Down Under last year, where the Aussies proved far too strong for the opposition.
The upcoming series could be even worse for the visitors, with a number of high-profile stars unavailable and seven debutants named in their squad to face Australia.
Last summer, Australia defeated the Windies by 419 runs in Adelaide and in an interview with The Advertiser, Malinauskas admitted his disappointment in the scheduling again.
“I hope there is a good turnout because we love our cricket. We love our sport but fair’s fair,” he said.
“Cricket Australia really gave us a kick in the guts by giving us West Indies two years in a row, starting the Test on a Wednesday and prioritising Perth … look how that turned out for them.
“The fact that we get West Indies two summers in a row is frankly disgraceful. At some point or another, cricket officials have to be willing to put spectators and fee-paying members first.
“Starting a Test on a Wednesday means people have to take time off work in order to be able to attend the cricket.
“For the life of me, I don’t know what justification there is for starting the Test on a Wednesday.”
Crowd attendances for the series opener against Pakistan on December 14 were underwhelming, however the MCG fixture has seen an influx of spectators in the opening two days despite some poor weather.
The first clash between Australia and West Indies will begin on January 17th at Adelaide Oval, with Brisbane set to host the final Test match of the summer.
