Three of Australia’s popular fast bowlers have backed BBL privatisation as inevitable but warned Cricket Australia that Test cricket must be ringfenced from the fallout, speaking on the Fast Bowling Cartel podcast on Monday. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Damian Fleming addressed the ongoing standoff between Cricket Australia and several state associations, with NSW and Queensland having already rejected CA’s initial proposal to sell stakes in BBL franchises to private investors. Gillespie, who recently coached Hyderabad Kings in the PSL, identified the core risk plainly. “Let’s say an IPL franchise comes in and buys one of the Big Bash teams,” he said. “They’ve signed Travis Head to a multi-million dollar contract. They want him playing Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve – and this coincides with test cricket. Does this change what the Boxing Day test, the New Year’s test looks like? I think a lot of these questions are being asked right now.” McGrath echoed those concerns. “Test cricket’s the ultimate. We need to protect test cricket,” he said, noting that only India, England and Australia make serious money from the format. “If you’ve got your key players off playing Big Bash rather than test cricket, that’s a concern.” Gillespie, however, said he believed NSW and Queensland’s resistance was less about principle and more about process. “I think it’s inevitable,” he said. “I think New South Wales and Queensland just probably want a little bit more clarity on what exactly it will look like.” He flagged South Australia’s position as straightforward: “What South Australia want to know is – okay, but it’s got to benefit South Australian cricket.” Fleming pointed to the competitive pressure driving the privatisation push – the SA20, the ILT20, the proposed NZ20 – all offering players significantly more money than the BBL currently can. “The BBL doesn’t want to be a B-grade T20 competition,” he said, adding that IPL franchises buying into South Africa represented perhaps the biggest immediate threat to Australian players staying home over summer.Story continues below this ad The trio also flagged the longer-term ownership question. Once private investors are in at 49%, Fleming suggested, the trajectory is in one direction only. “How long will it be till that’s 55, 60 per cent? Once they’re in, they’re going to own 100 per cent at some stage.” Gillespie said he understood players wanting to maximise their earnings but stressed those conversations were already happening. “I can assure you those conversations are already being had with Australian cricketers,” he said, referencing Head specifically. “Knowing Travis the way I do, his big goal is to play 100 tests for Australia. That’s his dream.” CA CEO Todd Greenberg, speaking separately last week, acknowledged the organisation had not communicated its case well. “There’s no doubt we could have, and should have, done a better job of the public narrative,” he told SEN. He has repeatedly described privatisation as “inevitable” and warned that without higher salary caps, Australian players would follow the money to rival leagues. CA is currently pushing ahead with a hybrid plan – testing the market for stakes in Melbourne Renegades, Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes – while NSW, Queensland and South Australia remain either opposed or uncommitted.
McGrath, Gillespie and Fleming back BBL privatisation but warn Test cricket must be protected
