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Australia’s contentious rotation policy is expected to increase further over the next 18 months as Ricky Ponting’s new-look Test and one-day teams bid to keep their place at the top of the world cricket.
Australia are poised to play 20 Tests and close to 50 one-dayers in the next year and a half, as well as the Twenty20 World Championship, with Ponting continuing to stress the need for players to be given rests – particularly with tours to India in October and South Africa and England next year.
“I know the selectors and Cricket Australia are very conscious of our workload, and we’ve got some big series coming up as well, the Indian Test series, Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes and those sorts of things,” said Ponting.
“So I think the selectors are very mindful of making sure that we’ve got the best players on the paddock for those big series, and I think in the next 12-18 months you’ll probably see more players having a break when we feel it’s appropriate.”
The handling of fast bowling spearhead Brett Lee, in particular, will be closely monitored, with his workload in the Australian attack growing noticeably since the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
Andrew Symonds, at 33, may also soon be rested more often from one-day cricket given his high level of involvement in both forms of the game, along with Matthew Hayden, who is currently out injured with a persistent Achilles tendon injury.
Australia, after a 2-0 series victory over the West Indies, continue to sit comfortably atop the ICC world Test rankings, and will regain top spot from South Africa in the one-day list if they claim victory in the first match of their best-of-five series against the Windies in St Vincent on Tuesday (Wednesday AM AEST).
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