While opener Usman Khawaja is being forced to sit out a Sheffield Shield match, it appears Australia are going to run his multi-format Test teammates into the ground.
Despite all the euphoria over Australia’s rousing win over Pakistan to leap into fourth spot in the World Cup standings, they are still just four matches into what will be at least nine, potentially 11, matches for the tournament.
Wednesday’s clash against the only non Test-playing nation in the tournament, the Netherlands could be the ideal time to rest some of the fatigued stars who have been playing virtually non-stop for the past 12 months.
But chief selector George Bailey has rubbished the suggestion of rotating the line-up around by saying over the weekend “there is no workload management, it’s just the World Cup”.
“And hopefully they can push through. It feels like it’s been a busy start to the tournament, but we’ve got a couple of gaps now.”
With Travis Head a chance to return from his broken hand against the Dutch, he will return to the top of the order and with Cameron Green, Sean Abbott and potentially even dropped wicketkeeper Alex Carey keen for game time after riding the pine, the Aussies could use this match to give their squad a mid-tournament refresh.
It’s a fine line to tread.
The danger of course is that the Dutch upset South Africa last week so they cannot be written off as easybeats but the team can’t be running on fumes by the time the semis roll around.
Australia’s World Cup chances will probably be defined by their two matches that follow – against New Zealand and England – before they finish the group stage by taking on Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
There are several Australian players who could benefit from taking a game off, headed up by the pace trio of captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Of the other Test stars in the ODI line-up, openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are in form so they wouldn’t both necessarily be needed against the Dutch while Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne would be reluctant to miss out on any game time.
Smith has been scratchy since returning from a minor wrist injury recently – he has only passed 50 twice in his nine most recent 50-over outings and one of those was in a warm-up hit-out that didn’t have ODI status, coincidentally against the Netherlands.
Pat Cummins leads the Australian side off. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa has been bothered by back spasms but as long as he’s capable of wheeling down 10 overs, the Aussies won’t rest him even though Head could complement Glenn Maxwell in the spin department.
Eyebrows were raised on the domestic front last week when Khawaja was told to put his feet up instead of padding up for the four-day clash with Victoria in Mackay even though he has the lightest workload of any member of the Australian Test XI.
Bailey’s comments suggest the multi-format players in the World Cup squad will get little to no respite in India even though they have racked up a T20 World Cup, a home Test summer, a gruelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour, a World Test Championship final, draining Ashes series in the UK since this time last year with a few players also jamming in two months in the IPL.
In what is clearly yet another cash grab by administrators, Australia will stick around after the World Cup to play the host nation in a three-match T20 bilateral series in the last week of November.
It begs the question – when will the multi-format players get a rest?
There is a five-Test home summer getting underway soon after that with three matches against Pakistan followed by the West Indies returning for a second straight summer in the worst scheduling decision since the Melrose Place reboot of 2009. Really – once was more than enough.
Adam Zampa with Marnus Labuschagne. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The endless summer for Australia’s top-liners continues after that with a two-Test tour to New Zealand before the IPL window is followed by the next T20 World Cup (the third in less than four years) in the Caribbean and US.
In light of the Sydney Morning Herald’s report that Cricket Australia has broken from recent tradition and handed out multi-year contracts to the likes of Cummins and Labuschagne – who were given three-year deals – and six others, it’s clear the governing body is concerned about T20 leagues and their bulky chequebooks.
With the emergence of competitions in South Africa, the US and the UAE fuelled in large part by Indian Premier League owners, there is concern in CA corridors about household names not being available for national duty.
Smith, Green, Head, Starc, Hazlewood and Carey are reportedly the other players with an extra year on their contract.
While central contracts are important, they are not a bulletproof method to keep elite talent on board with several international stars like Trent Boult and Jason Roy knocking them back in recent years to be freelance guns for hire.
And the best way for CA to lose their stars in the future will be to overwork them into the ground to the point where they think the better option for the rest of their career is to play short-form tournaments while travelling the globe.
Wikipetia
Roar Rookie
he needs a Ponting/ Ponting really rated Watto. backed him in to open. used him as an impact bowler when the conditions were right. understood that he could be the best whiteball allrounder in the country, possibly the world. last two years of Punter: Allan Border Medallist: Shane Watson (second one shared between two skippers) first two years of Michael Clarke captaincy: Allan Border Medallist: Michael Clarke. Status of Shane Watson: workhorse on good days, has to bowl to be in the team, cancer on bad days... Green needs a new Test skipper and he will be THE cricketer of the generation. Hopefully Travvie Head rates his stuff.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
In fairness to selectors they've had two issues to deal with in the past 2 or 3 seasons. There have been multiple World Cups since covid finished which is simply ridiculous (there's another T20 WC in the US next June). That has given selectors little opportunity to look at other guys because they've had to consistently choose their best squads. There's also not a lot of guys bashing down doors demanding to be chosen, either because of inconsistent form or injury. Jhye Richardson is good example. He'd be one of the first chosen in Tests and/or white ball formats if fit, but has had a lot of injuries while others have had up & down performances with bat & ball. Hopefully after the next WC, they can get back to doing as you suggested. Given the ages of most of this squad, it's super important we start rebuilding asap.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
They need to go to different squads again, for red & white ball competitions. Even if it means that Australia fail miserably for a while , in at least white ball competitions. At least this way of choosing squads, gives everyone a look at different players in the white ball game. Plus the selectors can see who is up to the international level, given the players are given a while to prove their worth.
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
“…in the worst scheduling decision since the Melrose palace reboot of 2009.” — I’ve spent a lot more time pondering the obscurity of this pop culture reference than I did the rest of the article.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Green has been very poorly handled by Captain and Coach. Potentially our best since Miller. This is a real shame.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
The only way Cummins can improve in his decision making is to captain the team. I'd not bowl him to give him a rest and hope that he can learn from simply fielding and watching the game. I stress the word "hope". I'm really not that confident he or the rest of the brains trust will change their ways.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He caned it last year. A very successful first year. One of the players of the IPL. It's a pity the Aussies don't use his skills
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Cummins is there to Captain? Well he's lost it as a bowler and was never a good captain. So why is he there? (Mecano 101)
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I'll bet exactly the same thing happens to Cameron Green if he decides to play in the IPL. Will you be saying 'the Indians have worked out what we know already" when his price drops from the 3 million he scored this year?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
$3M down to $1.3M down to...nothing? I think they have worked out what we know already.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Cummins was going to make more than $1.35 million this year in the IPL but pulled out. Prior to that he was on north of $3 million, so the Kolcutta team obviously think he's a pretty useful addition to their squad. Steve Smith on the other hand might well be past it. Certainly the Indian franchises thought so when he was offered a contract worth only 350k.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I've no issues with Khawaja sitting out a Shield game and I think, in an ideal world, the selectors would like to do the same for 7 or 8 blokes currently in India. We can blame Bailey and co for many things, but not for the scheduling, which has clearly been poor for the best part of 18 months. That said, there appears to be a complete disconnection between those who decide when Australian teams will play and those who choose the teams. It's ludicrous that we're having a conversation about guys being overworked when selectors should have been informed in the planning stages back in 2021/22, so they could get together a group of 20 or 25 players, then use these guys in the different formats, rather than picking the Test XI and adding a few stragglers to make up a squad for white ball formats.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I'd play Warner, MM, Head, Green, Smith, Maxwell, Inglis, Abbott, Starc, Cummins & either Zampa or Hazlewood (depending on who needs a rest). Cumins is there only to captain, not bowl, which is why Abbott plays, but he only gets a few overs while Green opens with Starc, then MM, Head, Maxwell, etc. The Aussie batting is the issue, with too many guys not in good form. They need to bat first, bat for 50 overs and use the team they'll likely need if they're going to make the finals
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I'd love some of those "stars" to take the T20 circuit as an option. Problem is, Cummins and Smith aren't any good at it.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Dangerous game to start playing - the Dutch are no rank easybeats. Our team is also hardly purring - play your preferred XI and try get them in form.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The biggest issue is that Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Smith and Carey, all over 30yo, are unlikely to be worth their spot in 2 or 3 years. Cummins and Smith are dead wood already in white ball cricket.