Financially weakened by the game's suspension in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown, Cricket Australia (CA) is exploring all options to safeguard the upcoming home summer, where a lucrative home Test series against India is scheduled.
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In order to avoid the spread of Coronavirus, Australia has sealed its borders till September 30, jeopardizing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
However, it is learnt that the Australian government might make travel exemptions for Team India’s tour down under later this year to save the cricket board from losing a staggering 300 million Australian dollars.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, "international exemptions to allow an India touring party to arrive in Australia next summer would be seriously considered by the federal government in the event of wider travel bans, strongly suggesting that Cricket Australia will be able to avoid losing up to AUD 300 million in revenue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic."
The report further claimed that CA has received a positive response from its government.
"...The governing body is understood to have received highly encouraging news about their outlook, at least as far as the lucrative India tour is concerned," the report stated.
Cricket Australia was expecting to generate AUD 500 million from this financial cycle, mainly from broadcasting rights.
Even if the matches are being held in empty stadiums, they happen to lose AUD 50 million. But if India series gets called off, the effects will be of gigantic proportions.
"Such a scenario (only live TV coverage) would likely leave CA with a hole of around AUD 50 million in its annual revenue of nearly AUD 500 million, but nowhere near the sort of blow they could have expected without being able to welcome India for a series of Test and limited overs matches due to pull the organisation out of the low point of its four-year revenue cycle," the report stated.
Meanwhile, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that his government is looking at all options to resume sporting activities.
"What is a safe way to be able to do that, and to get as much consistency as we possibly can across all the states and territories," Morrison said.
"That was strongly supported today by all the states and territories, having something along those lines they would find very helpful."
(With PTI inputs)
