2020's Summer of COVID Cricket Catastrophe

COVID-19 lockdowns, match cancellations and sporting redundancies have summed up 2020. Can cricket turn it around or is their innings coming to a close?

Cricket v. COVID: 2020’s Greatest Test Match Yet

What a year for sport! While England kicks off this weekend with the commencement of yet a further lockdown, the million-pound question has got to be how long this virus can cause disruption. With the postponement list of international matches this year looking set to rival that of the ICC’s match fixing blacklist, maybe the question should really be, how long can cricket sustain the economic fallout of 2020? Because as much as cricket is our passion, it is a business at the end of the day and businesses don’t last without a healthy bottom line, period.

Whilst our cricketing stars juggle their international careers with their overseas pay-check commitments, can our governing bodies ensure that the best 11 players are on the field, rather than in quarantine? We take a look at how things were and how we think things could be to ensure we actually get a summer of cricket next year to make up for the one we robbed of.

The Year that Was

As much as 2020 will unanimously go down as the year to forget, as we near its end, we seem to be no closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. England, Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain are just the bigger names in Europe to be commencing further lockdowns, which is starting to ring serious warning bells for 2021. As far as cricket is concerned, one look through the ICC’s postponement list for the past 8 months is grim reading for sure, but it’s the knockoff effect that spells bad news for the future of international cricket. 

In a time where international caps are carefully balanced with the more lucrative league contracts overseas, a standard 14-day quarantine knocks the bails off that tightrope and is certainly going to make for some tough decisions for our top players. And when those elite athletes have already taken a monetary sacrifice for the good of the game back home, certainly the trend will be to value the leagues coin over international duties, and who could blame them. After all, it’s been a bloody tough year!

As Europe descends into winter, and the ECB publishes the latest guidelines on cricket under COVID-19, attention needs to be solely focused on not just weathering this storm, but adapting cricket to this new normality. With quarantines looking more and more common, why not look at developing the national leagues to rival India and Australia. The IPL is seeing record numbers and with Melbourne coming out of a gruelling three-month lockdown into a bumper Big Bash season, there is still plenty of money to be made and in turn invested.

The Bright-side of 2020

Granted, it’s been slim pickings this year with expectation and excitement being closely followed by postponement and remorse, but how good has 2020’s IPL been? Following the decision to postpone in March and then the huge feat of organisation to uproot India’s premier sporting occasion to the UAE, the reward for all their hard work has seen records tumble across the board. And we’re not talking about on the field so much as in the wallet where it was needed most. The thirteenth season of the IPL has seen a 28% increase in viewer numbers from last year which directly correlates to higher advertising revenue and record profits. After all, even with empty stadiums to play to, it’s the people watching at home that rake in the coin, not the 60,000 whom paid to be there. 

And those figures have not just been seen on the sub-continent. Sky Sports UK viewer numbers have seen more punters switching to IPL than the English Premier League. An unfortunate scheduling clash there but it just shows that the globe is certainly big enough to host multiple cricket leagues around the full 12 months. 

That’s not to say that the undertaking of such a league is not without its difficulties as COVID-19 safety protocols must be a real headache for the organising bodies to contend with. But it goes to show that the hard work of organising such an event can definitely be well rewarded for cricket as a whole. Pre COVID-19, advertising revenue alone was set to earn the IPL franchises upwards of US$70 million, with the entire brand value a staggering US$6.7 billion in 2019.

The Year that Will Be

Going forward, yes it will be tough for English cricket and all international boards will see a huge decline in revenue. The further postponement of qualifying games is looking set to knock back the 2023 World Cup and tough immigration protocols around COVID-19 are sure to unravel the best organisation plans for coming internationals like those seen earlier this year. The coming final of the IPL is set to be huge and really is a testament to the endurance of cricketing officials the world over after such a tough year. 

Australia’s Big Bash League is the next big thing on the calendar as we approach 2021 but even that has been hit with controversy. Disputes around broadcasting deals have shed light on the massive dependency many sporting organisations have for their overall revenue. And when games are cancelled, contracts get terminated and money dries up quick smart. Australia’s Channel 7 are currently disputing their contract as many international players are looking at being absent due to quarantine regulations, and that deal is hovering around the A$450 million mark. But in a year where Cricket Australia saw 80% of their staff face redundancy, fingers crossed for a huge BBL to kickstart the summer.

A New Slot for All Cricket Fans

So whilst we look forward to our post COVID lives of endless cricket in the sun, why not sit back and enjoy the IPL final, the coming BBL and even a spot of fun thanks to the newest online slots out there, to help pass the time over lockdown 2.0. One thing that COVID-19 has shed light on is how an industry can evolve to prosper during times of trouble, with gaming seeing an absolute boom during periods of home detention. And with some awesome new slot sites starting to focus on cricket themes, you could even get some money coming your way between overs.

One of our favourites, Cricket Star (from slot behemoth Microgaming) is a five-reel slot with 243 ways to win. A low variance game, it’s more of test match than a twenty20 but will still have you on the edge of your seat. Special features like Wild Wickets which randomly activates, changes the symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4 wild, will have you winning in no time. Also, land 3 or more white cricket balls and you're in to the free spins feature, with each ball representing five free spins. It’s a great way to pass the overs and keep that excitement up!

Could a change in thinking from the top of cricket see a way to replicate the gaming industries boom for the sporting industry, I don’t know. But one thing is for sure; those that change with the times live to bat another innings. The same cannot be said for those that refuse to adapt and now is the time for that adaptation.