'The world's ultimate T20 tournament'

Australia’s T20 summer is set to kick off with a bang tomorrow as the first ever WBBL match gets underway in Melbourne. 

Excitement levels for both the Rebel Women's Big Bash League and the KFC Big Bash League are close to peaking as the world’s best converge Down Under for what many consider to be the world’s leading domestic tournaments in men’s and women’s cricket.

“The competition as a whole is amazing,” said Andrew Flintoff, talking about the BBL with melbournerenegades.com.au earlier this week. 

The England star, who last year made a few cameo appearances for the Brisbane Heat, was down in Melbourne putting Danni Wyatt, the Melbourne Renegades WBBL English import, through her paces in the nets at the MCG before joining up with Network Ten for their coverage of the BBL.

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Flintoff bowls to Wyatt in the nets at the MCG // Getty Images

“Coming back this year – I’m so excited," Flintoff said. 

"It was big last year, but I expect this tournament to be even bigger. It seems to have captured the imagination of the Australian public.” 

Flintoff’s is a sentiment that is fast becoming the norm – the BBL, once lagging behind other domestic tournaments in quality and prestige – is now considered the crème de la crème by many of the world’s best cricketers.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann has even endorsed England’s decision to send Adil Rashid to the BBL instead of shadow Moeen Ali as England’s second-choice spinner on their tour to South Africa. 

"Some people say he should be there for experience, but playing in the Big Bash – for me that’s the ultimate T20 tournament in the world,” said Swann. "It’s the highest standard of cricket.”

While Finals Day of England's domestic T20 competition registered the day's worst UK broadcast viewership since the competition began in 2003 and the IPL continues to be marred by corruption scandals, the BBL has gone from strength to strength. Average crowds exceeding 20,000 at the BBL venues last season – up 20% from the previous year - were matched by impressive TV ratings around the one-million mark.

“Everyone picks a team and gets behind it,” said Flintoff. 

“The ratings on TV have been through the roof. You’ve got all the big players coming over. 

"It’s going to be brilliant, it’s going to be really good.”

Flintoff wasn’t just impressed by the men’s BBL either – he’s excited by the prospect of a women’s version too. 

“I think the men’s tournament is the premier tournament in the world now domestically and there’s no reason the women’s can’t be as well,” he said.

“It’s good for girls looking at some of these women playing cricket as role models. My daughter, she’s 11, she plays cricket with the boys. She’ll sit and watch it [the BBL] and I think it’s great – I mean why not!?”

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MILO cricketers and stars from other sports joined WBBL players at the season launch // Getty Images

Charlotte Edwards, the England women’s captain, played in Australia last season for Alcohol.Think Again Western Fury, describing the state set-up as being “as close to international cricket as I've played in a domestic set-up.” This summer she’s back again for the Perth Scorchers in the inaugural WBBL.

"As an international cricketer you want to play in the best competitions in the world and I believe that is (one of those),” said Edwards.

Sara McGlashan, a hard-hitting top-order bat who recently became the first woman to make 200 appearances for New Zealand, was equally effusive. 

“It’s the first time a competition is being done like this in the world, so to be a part of that is amazing,” said McGlashan. 

“An opportunity like this for girls in Australia to be able to see this pathway for them – it’s amazing.”

"There's no doubt Australia knows what it's doing when it comes to women's cricket," agreed England opening bowler Kate Cross at the media launch of theWBBL earlier this week.

"We've got a stage to showcase our product and as you know we don't get a lot of airtime," she said.

"I think it's something that's been needed, I think it's something that's been a long time coming and Australia's put it all together... it's going to be a great competition."

The WBBL launches tomorrow with the Melbourne Stars, led by Southern Stars captain Meg Lanning, taking on the Brisbane Heat in two back-to-back T20s at the Junction Oval in Melbourne. The BBL begins on 17 December with a local derby between the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers at the Spotless Stadium.