More than 43,000 people turned up at the final of the Big Bash League on Wednesday night, showing the return of the elite men's competition to a full-time school holiday time slot has worked.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Moving the grand final away from the same weekend as the Australian Open final was also a smart move giving the showpiece domestic competition clear air.
Even with a disastrously one-sided international summer, the interest in men's cricket remains high due in part to the World Cup, Ashes and World Test Championship wins in 2023.
It's a shame we can't say the same about the women's game. Despite Australia's dominance of the international women's cricket world, its feature domestic program has been seriously let down this season by Cricket Australia.
A straw poll of the office asked the question this week, 'Who won the women's Big Bash League?'. No-one could answer. For the record, it was the Adelaide Strikers, all the way back on December 2.
That team won a thrilling final over the Brisbane Heat by three runs, but only 12,000 people turned up at Adelaide Oval to watch it.
This season, women's cricket has gone backwards across the country, and it's in no small part to the fact it's been taken away from the regions.
In Ballarat alone, we lost the Ballarat Bolts, a team which had won three successive titles, largely because they were not aligned to a Premier League Club.
We also lost the WBBL weekend at Eastern Oval, one of the great advertisements for the women's game which has in the past seen up to four of the elite teams in Australia travel to Ballarat to showcase the best of the women's game.
Every single women's Big Bash League game in Victoria in the 2023 season was played in Melbourne. Most at the Junction Oval, one in Ringwood and one at the MCG.
For the Renegades, which cultivate the regions as their key zone, they finished bottom of the table. The Stars second last.
For the Renegades, eight of their 14 games in the season were played in the middle of the week, in November, out of holiday time.
Good luck getting the likes of Skipton quick Sara Kennedy more than a passing glance if you're playing games while she and all her peers you should be trying to attract to the game are still at school.
Cricket Australia needs to understand, you're not going to grow a sport by playing it on a Wednesday, in November, in the middle of Melbourne.
It's as though it sees the WBBL as a cursory side project, but they bury it where nobody can see it. It's like the embarrassing uncle at Christmas time - you have to invite him, but do you really want him there?
If Cricket Australia is genuine about growing the women's game in in Australia, it needs to start by returning its women's showpiece to regional areas.
Let's be honest, the empty grass and stands all season in Melbourne were not a good look. And they are a testament to the fact this season did not work.
Perhaps the regions might actually care because clearly those in the city do not.
Certainly Eastern Oval is ready and willing to host, just like it did with the terrific under-17 national championships earlier this month.
Who knows, maybe the next Sara Kennedy could be right here in Ballarat. But unless girls have an opportunity to get up close to their heroes and showcase their talents, we'll never know.
