The Australian cricket summer is becoming extremely hard to schedule what with three forms of the game to manage.
Cricket Australia has its cash cows that it needs to maintain: the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests and of course, the Big Bash League (BBL).
Many pundits are suggesting the planning for this summer has been far better than in previous years and to some degree, that’s a fair comment. Players are easing their way back into cricket through an extended version of the Marsh Cup and it won’t be long before many will be preparing for Shield cricket as a warm-up for the Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand.
Prior to the first Test though, we have two T20 series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan with the first game scheduled to start in four weeks. The problem is, the selectors have no recent T20 form to decide who should play in these games.
The last time Australia played in an international T20 match was in India at the end of February this year. Some have played in the IPL, but apart from that, the Australian selectors have no T20 form to go by.
Cricket Australia realized it had a similar problem earlier this year when trying to decide who should be selected for the Ashes tour. One of the ways selectors had a chance to see players in action was to select a training squad and choose two teams to play off against each other.
It’s debatable just how successful this game actually was, but at least it gave some guidance, when considered with county form, World Cup form, end of Australian season form, etc.
A similar exercise would be useful in the lead up to these T20 series. The T20 World Cup is a year away but we should be getting a squad ready now, rather than waiting until the last few weeks and hoping the selections would be good enough, as happened with the World Cup.
Perhaps with better preparation in English conditions, different players might have been chosen and a better outcome achieved.
Cricket Australia should bring together a squad of 22 players and schedule a couple of practice games in the week prior to the first T20 against Sri Lanka. Not only would that give selectors an idea about who should play, but it would also give players a chance to adjust their thinking and technique from ODI to T20.
These T20 internationals should also be seen as trials for the World Cup. Again, that’s not for another 12 months, but there’s plenty of young talent in Australian short-form cricket and these guys have limited opportunities to show what they can do, which is why the suggested practice games would be very important to them.
It’s too late to schedule anything now and this is where Cricket Australia has probably missed a trick. Selectors will have to rely on whatever form they can glean from the Marsh Cup or from internationals eight months ago.
At best, they’ll be guessing about player form, which is hardly a guarantee of success.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
I saw a list of all the T20i's we play between now and the WC and it seemed enough matches to settle on a team if they are smart about it. I didn't actually count them but there might have been about 20. I think they've got to try a few of the younger guys but at the same time we don't need a full on revolving door policy. A bit of a balancing act between experimentation and continuity required there.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Yep! nothing like excess to kill the golden goose.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I'm sure there are reasons for doing it, Jeff. It just seems that the domestic calendar is at the bottom of the list of CA's considerations (and judging by the fact that we play three ODIs in India in mid-January, the BCCI's wishes appear to be at the top...).
AREH
Roar Guru
Agree - ODI matches early in the home season closely connected to the domestic OD cup allows for selectable form in the same format. I hope that XI is close to what we see. Finch has played some ominous knocks down the order before in the format, and one would be brave to separate the dominant Hobart duo at the top. Domestic cricket yes, but the pair have a real synergy, and both deserve a place.
Simoc
Guest
It really doesn't matter. T20 is going great guns as a franchise operation around the cricketing world and quite frankly no-one gives a stuff if we win or lose the game providing it is exciting. It provides the players with excellent income which they wouldn't have without T20. We want to win the T20 World Cup but until it is next week, month it doesn't matter to players or public. I reckon they should run a World T20 every year, over a single week on a knockout format.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"Why not play the ODIs first (after World Cup and Marsh Cup), then finish the summer with T20Is after the tests (as soon as the BBL is done)." New Zealand is hosting India from the last week of January through to early March, so mid-March was the earliest window for the Trans-Tasman ODIs - and Australia is o/s anyway from mid-Feb to early March in SAF. SL and PAK also have their own hosting commitments during that period.
JamesH
Roar Guru
It's odd scheduling. Why not play the ODIs first (after World Cup and Marsh Cup), then finish the summer with T20Is after the tests (as soon as the BBL is done). I'd like to see Australia pick a similar side to the one that played England and NZ in early 2018. Something like: Short Wade Lynn Maxwell Finch (c) McDermott (wk) Turner Agar J Richardson/NCN K Richardson Stanlake Personally I'd like to see Warner just focus on red ball cricket in the leadup to the tests. McDermott should probably be batting higher but as usual, we're a bit top-heavy. Stoinis could play in place of McDermott (with Wade to keep) if we need more bowling depth but the Maxwell/Short/Finch combo should be plenty for 4-5 overs. Perhaps Agar could even move up and we play an extra bowler. NCN to play if Jhye isn't 100%.