Big Bash officials are continuing to steer clear of Christmas.
No games will be played on December 24 or 25 as part of the new season schedule, with cricket played on 44 out of 46 nights from the opening BBL match.
The season will start on December 15 and run until January 27, with the door open at least for Test stars aligned with BBL clubs to line up for their teams in the final two weeks of the tournament, plus finals.
But there will be no games on Christmas Day, again, despite the NBL making the move for games, with BBL officials also baulking at playing on Christmas Eve after feedback from players about having to potentially travel the day after and not be with loved ones.
Instead, the focus has been on engaging members of the Test team, with players including captain Pat Cummins (Sydney Thunder) now having either a formal or informal commitment to a club. But their availability to turn out after a gruelling five-match series against India remains unclear.
Test players are due to fly to Sri Lanka for another two Test matches in late January or February, with the dates for the games to be confirmed.
But it could before the BBL even finishes and those matches could be crucial to qualification for the World Test Championship and defending the title Australia won in 2023.
BBL boss Alastair Dobson, however, said the “bigger window” was part of a “brilliant schedule for fans”.
“With uninterrupted action every night of the regular season and all the marquee games our fans love,” he said in a statement.
“We also can’t wait to welcome back members of the Australian Test team once again in January, taking advantage of a bigger window following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.”
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has not played in the BBL since 2014-15 and Cummins since 2019-20, but both featured in this year’s IPL, with Cummins also playing Major League Cricket in the US, which features a wealth of stars unavailable to the Big Bash.
Officials are still contending with the ILT20 in the UAE, which pulls in up to 54 overseas players and has been brought forward by a week this summer, starting on January 10 and creating a further clash with the Big Bash.
The SA20 in South Africa also remains in the same late January window, creating the potential for overseas players to leave the BBL midway through.
Cricket Australia allowed BBL teams to sign overseas players on multi-year deals but only if they remain in Australia for the duration of the season.
England’s Sam Billings, Tom Curran and Chris Jordan have so far taken up the option, with each club limited to one multi-year deal for an overseas player.
The December 15 start, in Perth, is the latest in recent memory, with almost the entire competition to be played in the school-holiday window for the first time in eight years.