No live coverage in Australia: Skipper Aaron Finch does not know where to watch #BANvAUS

It’s been more than 16 years since the first-ever T20 international was played. Australia played their first T20I in 2005 and have played 141 T20Is while Bangladesh played their first game in the format in 2006 and have featured in 102 T20Is. Yet, Bangladesh and Australia have squared off only a mere four times in […]
 By Sahil Jain Aug 3, 2021, 18:46 IST
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No live coverage in Australia: Skipper Aaron Finch does not know where to watch #BANvAUS

It’s been more than 16 years since the first-ever T20 international was played. Australia played their first T20I in 2005 and have played 141 T20Is while Bangladesh played their first game in the format in 2006 and have featured in 102 T20Is. Yet, Bangladesh and Australia have squared off only a mere four times in the history of the shortest format in international cricket.

In fact, Bangladesh and Australia have never been involved in a bilateral T20I series in the history of the game. All their four meetings in T20Is have come in the T20 World Cups with Australia winning all four of them.

Thus, Australia have now travelled to Bangladesh for a five-match T20I series and it is history as the two teams are playing their first-ever T20I series. Besides this, Australia have had a history of postponing their tours to Bangladesh and they did so even in 2020, pushing it to this year.

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However, despite this being a historic maiden T20I series between Bangladesh and Australia, there is no broadcast for the series in Australia. For the first time in 27 years, the Australian cricket team has faced a television blackout. Fox Sports rejected the rights to telecast the five-match T20I series in Bangladesh.

There were some reports that suggested that a YouTube channel – Rabbitholebd Sports which has 6.42 million subscribers and streams Bangladesh’s home games live might air the game. However, there was absolutely no coverage.

No live coverage in Australia: Skipper Aaron Finch does not know where to watch #BANvAUS

No idea for Finch either

Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch who is at home recovering from his knee injury was left confused as well.

 

A source in Bangladesh cricket said that the series will not be aired anywhere in Australia on any of the platforms after Fox Sports’ rejection. In fact, that source also revealed that the offer was made to multiple platforms and networks but it was outright rejected without any financial talks. “Not one dollar was discussed,” the source was quoted saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

Moreover, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have already bowed down to the various demands of Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian cricketers. There have been multiple restrictions that have been in place and very stringent ones too. Be it in terms of hotels, bio-bubbles or even in terms of the balls returning from the stands, BCB has agreed to various terms and demands from the CA.

Where to watch  BAN v AUS

In the recent past, Australia’s lower profile tours have been covered by Foxtel and the latter land a deal with the respective home board at the very last minute. However, that hasn’t been the case this time around. It is still unclear on how the people in Australia will watch the live telecast of the T20Is.

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