It’s just not cricket: Seven promises this isn’t your grandfather’s game anymore
It’s a huge day for Australian cricket fans as the 2023/24 series of the Men’s Big Bash League starts tonight, with the Melbourne Stars taking on the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba.
It’s also a huge day for Seven’s head of sport, Lewis Martin, who will be bringing a newly rejigged BBL format to the screen tonight.
The new BBL offers less of the scheduling bloat and repeat match-ups that plagued previous seasons, with a trimmed-down schedule and a focus on the fast-paced excitement that the league brings to cricket fans — especially in comparison to the languid, lazy Test cricket that usually crawls across the screen over the summer break. As Martin notes, there is a swath of “soon-to-become” fans, who are no doubt put off by the time investment of a five-day Test. This is where BBL hooks them in.