&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Perth Scorchers coach Voges hails historic first foreign Big Bash game in Chennai")
Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges has described the Big Bash League’s first match outside Australia as a historic opportunity to deepen cricket ties with India, the world’s largest cricket market. The defending champions will face Melbourne Renegades at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on 12 December to open BBL|16, the first fixture by a foreign franchise league on Indian soil.
Voges, speaking to WION’s Sidhant Sibal in Delhi, called it an “incredibly exciting” and “historic moment”.
“What better place to bring the Big Bash than to the biggest cricket market in the world,” he said. Hosting the season opener in Chennai was something the club was “incredibly excited about”.
Voges captained the Scorchers to Big Bash titles in BBL|04 and BBL|06 before taking over as head coach for the 2018-19 season. He has since guided the club to championships in BBL|11, BBL|12 and BBL|15, becoming the joint-most successful head coach in BBL history alongside Justin Langer.
A former Australia international, who played 58 times across formats, scored 1,485 Test runs at an average of 62, including five centuries, in 20 matches. After retiring from first-class cricket, he also oversaw Western Australia’s three consecutive Sheffield Shield titles.
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“India was the natural destination,” Voges said, because it is “the biggest cricketing nation and the biggest cricketing market in the world”.
Taking the competition to “the most knowledgeable fans in the world” offered a chance “to create some new relationships and some new fans for the Perth Scorchers”, alongside the immediate aim of winning the opening game.
Bringing the BBL to India was “the starting point” for something longer-term between Australia and India, and specifically between Western Australia and India. Sport, he added, remains “a great connector”.
Beyond the field, the focus on high performance created scope to “tap into local Indian knowledge [and] local Indian resources” and share expertise in ways that could benefit both sides.
Voges, who played against Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, highlighted the enduring Australia-India rivalry. He cited VVS Laxman’s double-century that helped India win after following on, Australia’s recent World Cup success in the country, and the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The next generation of Indian talent also impressed him. “Some of the talent in this country is amazing,” he said.
