Adding more games will likely come before adding more teams. But the Canberra group wants to be ready to pull the trigger to give it a head start over interstate rivals. Any expansion, however, has been clouded after the Australian Cricketers' Association urged Cricket Australia to tread carefully before expanding the Big Bash to a full home and away schedule next summer. A sell-out crowd watched the Sydney Thunder clash against the Melbourne Renegades at Manuka Oval last month. It is hoped the government and Cricket ACT can strike a deal with the Thunder to continue playing games in Canberra in the coming years to satisfy the appetite for Twenty20 content. Canberra will host five women's Twenty20 World Cup games in 2020, but the government snubbed the men's tournament to focus on the female event.

The cricket calendar for 2018-19 is a source of significant intrigue in cricket circles, with CA considering increasing the BBL from 10 games per team to 14, plus finals, in what will be the first summer of the next television rights deal, for which talks have commenced. The competition could run until mid-February, in a clear attempt from CA to win back calendar territory that has been ceded to the AFL in recent years. The BBL had only just expanded this season, with each club having previously played eight games. The ACA have not outright endorsed a longer season, but neither have they scorned the idea. Instead the players' union said they had expressed their view that the concept needed considerable thought before being implemented, with the players expressing their views through the scheduling advisory group started following the signing of last year's memorandum of understanding. "We need to make sure the needs of fans, players, CA and broadcasters are all met," ACA chief Alistair Nicholson said on Thursday.

"The players love playing Big Bash cricket and it's great for the sport. It's one of the best examples of the partnership between CA and the players working well. "And highlights how the players have driven innovation and the growth of cricket. "Our feedback from the players is moving from the current 10-round season to an expanded competition must consider the potential impact on other aspects of the schedule. "Players are also mindful the 2016-17 BBL season was an eight-round competition, so these changes are significant over a short space of time." Noting the need to consider the interests of players, fans and broadcasters, Nicholson said it was imperative a longer Twenty20 season didn't come at the expense of one-day or first-class cricket.

"One format of the game shouldn't compromise another is a clear message from the players," he said. "And the 2018-19 summer is going to be a tough schedule to balance. "But with both a 50-over World Cup and an away Ashes series in mid-2019, it is vital all formats are taken into consideration." Several players have expressed concerns about the possible expansion of the BBL, in particular on the potential impact for overseas players. Before his final game for the Melbourne Stars, English cricket great Kevin Pietersen warned CA that a longer season could deter international players from committing to BBL clubs. Nicholson also spoke of the need to increase the games in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League, during which each side currently only plays six regular-season games, compared to 14 per side in the Women's Big Bash League, while also pushing for more longer-form games following the success of this summer's women's Ashes Test.