Juan J. Monroe 
Planning is arguably one of cricket’s biggest challenges, as administrators try to squeeze international and domestic fixtures into a hectic schedule that looks more and more like Tetris on steroids.
Cricket Australia’s release of the 2022-23 fixtures is a welcome distraction from the freezing temperatures that heralded the arrival of winter and offers a glimpse of the competition that will emerge with (we hope) warmer weather.
The latest schedule brings up some interesting points and here are some of our takeaways from the fixture list.
Cricket returns to the Top End
It has been almost a decade since international men’s cricket has been played in North Queensland; the new schedule sees the Australian men play three ODIs against Zimbabwe in Townsville in August before Cairns host three ODIs against New Zealand in September.
The men’s cricket season is gradually shifting the weight of international matches into the spring and early summer, freeing up space in the late summer and fall for the BBL and possible series at the outside crowded ahead of the IPL in April and May.
This could provide more opportunities for international matches to be played in warmer states like Queensland and even the Northern Territory in years to come and the local reception of future ODIs will be watched with interest.
Perth the new Brisbane
The Gabba has long been the traditional burial place of the first stop to visit the Test sides, but that run could end for the foreseeable future. Optus Stadium in Perth will host the first Test of the summer against the West Indies, followed by the Day-Night Test in Adelaide. The Perth time zone means the first two Tests in early December will be played in timeslots suitable for broadcast on the east coast before schools close for the summer holidays.
It’s a welcome move for TV rights holders and could become a permanent arrangement, with the Gabba unavailable in subsequent years while it is refurbished for Olympic hosting duties.
How popular this move will be with players and fans may depend on how the Test team fares at Optus Stadium after having such a strong start to the series at home at ‘Gabbatoir’.
Few women internationals
Last season was a boon for women’s cricket in Australia. The national team have played two multi-format series against India and England, but this summer will only play six days of home cricket. Meg Lanning’s side will face Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20Is in the second half of January, with the WBBL providing the bulk of televised cricket in October and November, when they compete with the Men’s T20 World Cup for eyeballs and headlines. The Pakistani women haven’t played a Test since 2004 and, for now at least, the game’s longest form is seen as a step too far for the current team against the best team in the world in any format .
Australia will, however, travel to India for five T20Is in December. The bilateral series is not part of any ICC qualifier, so the fact that both boards are willing to invest in such an unusual tour is intriguing and suggests that perhaps, at a time when a women’s IPL becomes more likely, the BCCI is heating up towards the idea that top-flight women’s cricket can achieve commercial success, although the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February is clearly a factor as well.
Cricket Australia leaves an open window in March when the WIPL would be played, although it is unclear whether the first tournament will be played in 2023 or 2024. Watch this space.
South Africa’s ODIs stuck
The Australian men will play three ODIs against South Africa in mid-January following the end of the three-Test series at the SCG on January 8. matches required by the Future Touring Program (FTP) in its final year.
Cricket South Africa would prefer matches to be played later so that their international stars are available for the new T20 domestic tournament. It would also allow Australia’s big names in white-ball cricket to feature in more BBLs, but ODIs must be played before the IPL window in April and May and Australia’s tour of India in February and March leaves no choice but to play immediately. after the tests
