New South Wales says BBL privatisation push 'threatens' the game

New South Wales have reacted angrily to Cricket Australia's decision to proceed with privatisation of the Big Bash, saying it "threatens" the game's ability to invest and risks "long-term" impacts on the sport.

NSW, which runs Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, have been the strongest opponent to privatisation since earlier this year, consistently saying they would not be taking that route with either of their clubs, challenging CA's financial forecasts and pushing for other ways to bring more money into the game.

On Tuesday, CA announced their board had approved implementing a "self-determination" model that will allow each state to decide their own paths, but NSW have hit out at the attempts to move the process on without alignment across the whole of the game. The current CA chair, Mike Baird, is a former NSW board member.

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"Cricket NSW is disappointed by Cricket Australia's decision to proceed with introducing private investment into the Big Bash Leagues without alignment across Australian cricket," a statement said.

"This decision risks leaving cricket in NSW and Australia strategically and financially worse off, with direct consequences for our ability to invest in grassroots cricket.

"We are proud to be part of an Australian cricket system that is the envy of the world. Yesterday's announcement threatens this system. The redistribution of profits to external investors reduces our ability to invest in community cricket, creating long-term impacts at all levels.

"The Cricket NSW Board is also disappointed by the process leading to this decision. We have raised concerns directly with Cricket Australia, proposed an alternative pathway to strengthen the Big Bash, and highlighted significant risks within the proposal, informed by high-quality external advice."

NSW also said that the four conditions for any sale process agreed by all state chairs in June had not been met. That includes agreement with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) who yesterday said that, despite CA's announcement, any privatisation could not take place without agreement of a new player payment model.

NSW pointed out that both their clubs, Sixers and Thunder, are "successful and healthy" with profits put back into growing participation.

"Cricket NSW strongly believes in the future growth of the WBBL and BBL," the statement said. "Both Leagues and all clubs are powerful drivers of participation and fan interest in cricket."

On Tuesday, CA chief executive Todd Greenberg conceded getting full agreement across the game was tough.

"I think what I've learned in my short time in cricket, the federated model makes it pretty hard to align everyone's interest at one point in time," he said.

"And that's what Cricket Australia's leadership is. We have to at least get to some point ... after all the analysis [to] make a decision. The board have made that decision. And that's the job of Australian cricket, is to make decisions in the best interest of the whole sport.

"Each state clearly has to make decisions in their best interest, but Cricket Australia need to make a decision [in the national] interest."

As it stands, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia are in the pro-privatisation camp although on Tuesday but only Cricket Victoria, who will sell Melbourne Renegades entirely, completely endorsed the process.

Queensland are not against the principle of privatisation but have concerns about the model and the financial distribution from it.

"The proposed self-determination model will need to be carefully examined and no doubt there are likely to be further questions and clarification," a joint statement from Queensland Cricket chair Kirsten Pike and CEO Terry Svenson said. "We will closely monitor the sales process and at this stage, intend to retain 100 percent ownership of the Brisbane Heat, but of course remain open to private investment at the appropriate time."

South Australia, who pushed for the self-determination model, have sat somewhere in the middle throughout the process.