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Cricket Australia mulling how to manage busy 2018-19

Junior cricket needs to change. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
3rd December, 2017
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Australia’s Test summer is set to start in December next year, with James Sutherland mulling how to put together a complex schedule.

India will visit for a four-Test series, including what Cricket Australia boss Sutherland hopes will be a day-night clash at Adelaide Oval, in 2018-19.

Sri Lanka are also due to lob for a two-Test series, including the first Test at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. There will also be a limited-overs series involving South Africa.

“We have to work out what the right balance is and the Test summer won’t kick off until December,” Sutherland told ABC Radio.

“We’re in the throes of working out all the different permutations and combinations. We’ve got four Test matches against India to kick off the summer, then later on two Test matches against Sri Lanka in January.

“It is unusual … next season will be different.”

Overlapping series remain a source of angst for players, with the issue likely to crop up during the next 12 months – potentially as early as February.

Australia face England and New Zealand in a Twenty20 tri-series later this summer – but some members of Steve Smith’s Test XI are likely to be en route to South Africa during the latter stages of that T20 tournament.

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India are among the few cricketing nations to express only lukewarm interest in day-night Tests, an innovation designed to improve crowd sizes and TV ratings.

But Sutherland is confident his organisation will be able to convince the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to agree to playing a day-night Test next year.

“I would anticipate there’s not going to be too many problems there,” he said.

“As we’ve discussed at ICC level, it’s very much in the hands of the home country to make judgments on what they think is best.

“It’s pretty well telegraphed that from our perspective we’d be playing at least one day-night Test match every summer.

“This is the future; day-night Test cricket is here to stay.”

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