BBL: Christmas Day remains 'no-go zone' with annual pushback from players
The prospect of having matches on Christmas has been raised annually, however, it never materialises as players deny given they have to travel back home to spend time with their families.
Melbourne Stars batter Hilton Cartwright will embrace games before and after Christmas as the Big Bash League (BBL) goes another season without a game on Christmas (December 25). The prospect of having matches on Christmas has been raised annually, however, it never materialises as players deny given they have to travel back home to spend time with their families.
Cartwright, who is from Perth, stated that he will be spending Christmas away from family in Melbourne before flying to Sydney for the Boxing Day clash against South Africa.
One day of the year, it’s pretty fair to request having it off: Hilton Cartwright
“I honestly see it as a no-go zone. Personally, I don’t have any kids or anything, so me travelling back for Xmas isn’t a big deal, I’ve spent the past three away from my family. But for people who have young kids, when Santa comes around, they want to be there for that. I think one day of the year it’s pretty fair to request having it off,” said Cartwright as quoted by news.com.au.
The officials of the top-tier league came close to scheduling a fixture on Christmas day for the 2019/20 season, however, many players came together and were against playing on the day, which led to the fixture getting cancelled.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Stars lock horns with defending champions and four-time BBL winners Perth Scorchers on December 23. So far this season, The Stars have played two matches and stand third on the points table with a win and loss each. On the other hand, the Scorchers occupy the fourth spot after a win and loss apiece in two games. While it is too early to speak about the standings, both teams will aim to maintain consistency starting with their forthcoming fixture.
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