A week from now, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright and Ashton Agar were scheduled to line up for Australia A with a chance to win spots in the Test XI for next month’s series in Bangladesh.
Instead, that ‘A’ series in South Africa may be cancelled, while the Bangladesh tour is in doubt due to the ongoing pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.
The Australia A players have said they will abandon the tour of South Africa unless a new memorandum of understanding is signed by this Friday.
Amid the analysis of this dispute, there has been plenty of focus on the potential for this summer’s Ashes to be majorly disrupted, perhaps even void of star players as they strike. But, even if the dispute is resolved well before the Ashes, Australia’s preparation for the blockbuster home series now looks like it will be badly hindered anyway should the ‘A’ tour be abandoned.
It is difficult to see how a resolution in the protracted dispute will be reached in time to go ahead with the first unofficial Test in South Africa a week from now.
The two first-class matches against South Africa A would have informed selections not just for the Ashes but also for the two-Test tour of Bangladesh.
The ‘A’ series was intended to be a trial for starting spots against Bangladesh for Khawaja, Maxwell, Agar and Cartwright, all of whom were named in both the 13-man Test squad and the ‘A; squad. The series also is the only chance the Australian selectors would have to assess potential Ashes picks on hard pitches before the Sheffield Shield starts just weeks out from the first Test against England.
It would be a crucial audition for the likes of pacemen Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers and Jason Behrendorff, all-rounder Travis Head, and keeper Alex Carey, all of whom are a realistic chance of playing a part in the Ashes. Should the tour be abandoned, those players would have only two Shield matches to push their case before Australia announce their squad for the first Ashes Test.
Ross Setford/SNPA via AP
In the shorter term, Australia look set to arrive in Bangladesh unsettled and poorly prepared, should that Test series go ahead at all – that tour already shaped as a potential stumbling block for the Australians ahead of the Ashes.
In three of the past four calendar years, Australia’s Test team has been badly destabilised by a shocking performance on a tour of Asia. Bangladesh must surely be feeling more and more confident each day the pay dispute drags on.
On home turf, the Tigers have more than enough ability to defeat even a stable and confident Australian outfit. Now it seems that, if they do tour Bangladesh, the Australians may well arrive with major selection questions unanswered due to the cancellation of the ‘A’ tour.
England, too, will be getting a growing sense that the turmoil in Australian cricket is inching them closer to an Ashes upset. Were the Bangladesh series cancelled, suddenly Australia would be decidedly vulnerable this summer.
If you like a punt, right about now would be a good time to put some coin on England retaining the Ashes.
Don Freo
Guest
The dispute will have one certain outcome. Changes at the top of CA. There will be a coup. This is incompetent and the players know they have all the cards.
davros
Guest
Christo ...im not sure you recognise all the playing group ....and the feeling between them ...there are a lot of leaders and a lot of mates across all the state sides. They all know each other well ...they all tour together socialise etc etc ...its a pretty tight knit group ! imagine playing in vic for eg ...having been a scab ? How do u think a Cam White or a Dan christian is going to treat a young guy ...who takes the 30 pieces of silver ? They all know this and i think the respect of ones peers is a major factor ...would you like to be known as the one who buckeled and scabbed on his mates ...especially since there is a decent quid to be earned by players ...exactly because they won it and stayed soild in the past ?
BurgyGreen
Guest
How unlucky will it be for Bangladesh if we cancel two tours in a row. This dispute is a joke with neither side even pretending to be willing to compromise. Both the Bangladesh tour and the Ashes are in serious danger as there appears to have been zero progress since the beginning of the standoff.
JimmyB
Guest
England haven't beaten SA at home for nearly 20 years so I would say that their focus will be squarely on the forthcoming series and not on the Ashes, although as with any series, good performances in the prior usually lead to selection in the latter. The fact that Gary Ballance is batting at 3 doesn't fill this Englishman with much confidence, regardless of the fact that he's averaging over 100 in the County Championship this year. England have also picked two spinners at Lords for the first time in nearly 20 years too.
AREH
Roar Guru
True, they are fairly reliant now on Amla and de Kock getting runs, and Rabada tormenting opponents with the ball. However this series for them against England will be a great test for new players like de Bruyn and Kuhn. Bavuma is not in the best form but I think the quality is there; stepping in as captain Elgar will need to be at his bludgeoning best at the top. I'm not sure they can win the series being in England, and how normally formidable the English are there, but you cannot count them out, they often produce better cricket when it's least expected and their backs are against the wall.
AREH
Roar Guru
Definitely true Although ironically Australia normally has inadequate preparation for home test series, because only weeks prior they're playing rather meaningless and long-winded ODI series against someone, and the test players might only get 1-2 actual Shield games in beforehand.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Mike, with Vernon Philander (161 wickets at 22.4) & Kagiso Rabada (71 wickets at 23.7), along with developing spinner Kesha Maharaj I think their bowling is in pretty good shape.
Ozinsa
Guest
Also speaking from England I must politely disagree JW. I've read 4-5 cricket stories in the last week and, whilst ostensibly about the upcoming SA series they all made mention of the Ashes. At the ground level, I played in a 6/side day at East Meon on Sunday and very discussion found it's way to the Ashes (via the Lions v AB's) and skipped the SA series completely. The Ashes is front and centre of English thinking and, as Ronan states, they're going to be much better prepared than we will be
Mike Dugg
Guest
A hiding from South Africa? Have you seen what shape the South Africans are in? Only de kock and Amla are decent batsmen. Morkel is a has been. They are a rebuilding team in disarray
JW89
Roar Rookie
Hi Giri, Speaking from England I can guarantee you that we aren't thinking about the Ashes right now. After an excellent Champions Trophy with a great final and now a monster Test series starting against SA, nobody here is mentioning or thinking of winter travels yet. JW
Nic
Guest
Not at all IMO, the current situation is a disgrace that reflects extremely poorly on both sides but particularly CA. It is a monumental failure of management to have this being played out in public whilst 200+ players are in unpaid limbo and despite having more than 8 months to achieve a viable outcome
AGordon
Guest
Ronan, you're dreaming with the headline for this article. Right now, the only thing the Poms are eyeing is playing South Africa and avoiding a hiding. Joe Root, brand new captain, no stable opening partner for Cook, a middle order that is still evolving and lots of questions about their attack, especially the lack of a quality spinner. I also fail to see how a tour of South Africa can be seen as any sort of a guide for selections for Bangladesh. The pitches are wildly different as are the attacks and the batsmen our bowlers would face in SA have completely different techniques than the Bangladeshis. In similar vein, the tour of Bangladesh is over by the second week in September to give our guys a chance to get some game time in Australia before the Ashes starts on 23 November. We lose nothing by missing either tour, except the chance to look at a few guys in SA who might be in Ashes consideration. The Poms hopefully will get belted and will have zero confidence when they face our quicks at the Gabba. Can't wait.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I wouldn't be presuming that at all, and if no FC players are available, will CA pick grade players? Would that acceptable to you? I assume based on your comments you would then put a line through all current FC players for future baggy greens as well if that happened? Animosity on both sides is starting to get to irreparable levels. CA and the ACA need to start actually talking now.
Nic
Guest
Yep During WSC, every "replacement" player was already playing first class cricket or had done so e.g. Simpson If the same thing were to happen today, it would literally be a bunch of grade cricketers as there is nobody left
Matt H
Roar Guru
If this happens CA will lose what little support they have, their next TV deal will be a stinker and crowds will fall as our B team gets flogged around the world. the problem CA have is that ACA have a monopoly on professional cricketers in this country but CA no longer have a monopoly over playing cricket, as there are plenty of T20 leagues for the top players to head off to. Sure, this means the 'lesser lights' who can;t get these contracts may break the strike, but we will be in worse shape than in the mid 80's.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Let's say the dispute doesn't get resolved this year. Is CA able to actually stage an Ashes series? I presume some players would sign up in defiance of ACA instructions (it's all very well for multi-millionaire stars to be stubborn, but the lesser lights would need to pay their bills somehow...). Maybe this would present an opportunity to discover a whole new generation of stars? Current crop might need to consider the possibility they strike themselves out of ever playing Test cricket for Australia!
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Is the series even happening? The pay dispute has become a joke now. Needs to be resolved ASAP. Well England always think about the Ashes, so nothing new there.
Basil
Guest
Hi Ronan. I was being sarcastic.
Rellum
Roar Guru
They could go back to using the nets like the good old days. Maybe we will see a rebel Shield season???
Nic
Guest
Whilst I doubt that either tour will go ahead, neither are particularly great preparations for an Ashes series in Australia as the conditions (winter in SA on slow seamers and dustbowls in Bangladesh) are as about as far removed from Brisbane, etc as could be Players would probably be just as well prepared by playing a full Matador Cup plus a couple of Shield matches