‘The rivalry does not need commercialising’: Michael Atherton furious at the thought of hosting Ashes Test in India

‘The rivalry does not need commercialising’: Michael Atherton furious at the thought of hosting Ashes Test in India originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Michael Atherton criticized the growing commercialization of cricket’s biggest rivalry.

• He branded the Big Bash League opener in Chennai bonkers and disrespectful to local fans.

• Atherton argued the Ashes needs no further commercializing beyond its traditional form.

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Michael Atherton slams Cricket Australia for hosting BBL match in India

Michael Atherton has delivered a pointed rebuke to cricket’s administrators over the sport’s relentless commercial expansion, taking particular aim at the decision to stage a Big Bash League fixture in India.

The former England captain used his column for The Times to defend the sanctity of domestic and marquee cricket against what he sees as needless tinkering.

The trigger for his ire was Cricket Australia’s confirmation that the opening game of the next Big Bash season will be played in Chennai on December 12.

The fixture, between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, marks the T20 league’s first match staged outside Australia.

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In his column, Atherton wrote: “The local audience was not, however, at the forefront of anyone’s mind when Cricket Australia announced recently that the opening game of the next Big Bash League will be played in Chennai. Yes — to repeat — as of now the opening game of this year’s Big Bash will be played in India. It’s bonkers and totally disrespectful to the local audience.

“Cricket has a reputation of being conservative, though few sports have changed as much and supporters are, on the whole, remarkably receptive to it. But it’s equally important not to be a neophile: not every change has merit. Playing a domestic competition at home should be sacrosanct.

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Michael Atherton furious at the thought of hosting Ashes Test in India

Earlier this month, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg had suggested that they have been thinking of hosting at least one Test match between traditional rivals England and Australia in India to further boost the commercialization of the sport.

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Greenberg had told the BBC, “It’s not something that we are planning, but it’s open for consideration. We’d have to be open to considering all options.”

Greenberg’s comments did not sit well with Atherton, who further added in his column, “As should be the contest between England and Australia. Other than a celebratory one-off match, such as in Melbourne next March, or possibly a World Test Championship — if England ever get their act together in that competition — England versus Australia is for the Ashes.

“It is to be played over five Tests every two years, and every four years on each other’s soil. Everybody else is welcome to watch but it is a rivalry that needs no further commercializing. Instead of worrying about how to make more money from more “content”, maybe administrators should look at the cost base of the game, which is out of kilter.”

The former England captain also stated: “When the ECB announced recently that it will not make money in an Ashes year in 2027 (because India are not touring), the answer is not to have India tour more frequently, but to cut the cost base of the game, which, if you can’t turn a profit in an Ashes year, is clearly too high. The rivalry between England and Australia works — although England’s competitiveness in Australia could do with some fine-tuning.

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A biennial series is just the right length of time for anticipation to build, for teams to regenerate, for supporters to get over the disappointment of the last time and to kid themselves that this time it will be different. The rivalry doesn’t need diluting with spurious one-off matches in India. There are so many parts of the game that need attention, but this is not one of them. Leave well alone.”

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A defense of the Ashes tradition

The prospect Atherton is guarding against is no longer hypothetical. Greenberg has confirmed Cricket Australia would consider a neutral-venue Ashes Test in India, and the Chennai Big Bash fixture reads as a deliberate test of that market’s appetite before any red-ball leap.

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Atherton’s objection cuts to the heart of what makes the contest special. A biennial, home-and-away series builds anticipation, allows teams to regenerate and lets supporters nurse old wounds between meetings, a rhythm that a rootless one-off in a third country would erode.

His closing verdict brooked no ambiguity, writing in The Times that the rivalry “doesn’t need diluting with spurious one-off matches in India” and that administrators should “leave well alone.” On this, the traditionalists have the stronger case.

The Ashes commands its enormous value precisely because it cannot be manufactured or relocated, and an exhibition Test in Chennai would trade a century of accumulated meaning for a one-off payday.

Cricket Australia’s willingness to even float the idea suggests a governing body that has begun to confuse what sells with what matters, and Atherton is right to sound the alarm before the notion gathers momentum.

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