Big Bash League scraps international players draft, schedule reveals Ashes 'mega days'

Cricket Australia on Wednesday made a major announcement regarding the BBL draft which was once again scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft was considered to be an innovation for the 10th edition of the BBL. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, forced a change of plans. The 11th season of the Big Bash League will be played from December 5 until January 28, which means it will finish during the school holidays for the first time in five years.

Cricket Australia reveals BBL 'Mega Days'

As per the report by cricket.com.au, the 11th edition of BBL will include eight 'mega days' where Test cricket will be played during the day followed by a BBL double-header at night. Going by the current schedule the upcoming season will witness a regular season of 56 games in 46 days, featuring several double-headers and a final day triple-header. The shortening of the season has led to clashes of several matches with the Ashes series.

The report also states that seven BBL matches are slated to be played at the same time as an Ashes Test – two during the day-night Test in Adelaide, and five during the fifth Test in Perth, where play finishes at 8.30 pm on the east coast. With both England and Afghanistan players touring the nation for the Test series, all the BBL teams will have a chance to fill their overseas roster as the league is facing a challenge to attract overseas players given the ongoing border restrictions and quarantine requirements.

Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia's head of the Big Bash, said that the quarantine requirements may scare off some international players and that the complications around travel was behind the decision to postpone the international draft for another 12 months. He further said "It isn't getting any easier and at this point, everyone needs clarity and certainty around the contracting landscape. So we've made the decision to postpone (the draft) for another year, with the intention of bringing it in when – fingers crossed – the landscape is clearer and we can give what we think is a great idea the best chance to be successful.

All you need to know 11th edition of Big Bash League 

The upcoming season of Big Bash League will begin with a clash between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars at the SCG on December 5, with a Christmas Eve match between the Hurricanes and Stars in Hobart to be the last of 19 matches before Christmas. Twenty-two games will then follow in the two weeks after Christmas, including eight double-headers, while finals spots will be decided with a triple-header on Wednesday, January 19, the last day of the regular season, featuring games in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The five-game finals series will be held in the space of the week, with the grand final to be played on a Friday night for the first time. A total of 14 venues will be used, including a return to Geelong and Coffs Harbour, while a BBL match will be played at Junction Oval in Melbourne for the first time. The schedule returns to a full home-and-away structure after it was played in a bubble last season due to the pandemic, but the location of matches will be determined by medical advice and border closures at the time.

Credit: @SixersBBL/ Twitter