Why Aussies involved in IPL may find it difficult to return for the remainder of series
The resumption of the IPL in September was never going to be easy, as Aaron Finch reveals his reasons why the Aussies might find it hard to justify returning to India.
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Australian white ball captain Aaron Finch believes the country’s T20 stars would find it hard to justify returning to the Indian Premier League later this year.
Finch, set to captain Australia at the T20 World Cup in India or Dubai October, feels a huge looming workload will weigh heavily on Australia’s players as they are invited by their franchises to return for the postponed IPL set to resume in September.
“This is only my personal opinion but I think they would find it hard to justify playing that second part of the IPL,’’ Finch told Test great Adam Gilchrist on Perth’s Gilly and Goss radio show.
“Purely based on the workload coming up with a T20 World Cup and then a huge home summer.
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“It’s a tough situation everyone has been put in but personally I find it hard to do that knowing how difficult it is and how challenging it is mentally and on your family as well.’’
Cricket’s club versus country debate has come into focus as seven Australian players who went to the IPL withdrew from white ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh next month.
Steve Smith was injured but bubble fatigue was a prime factor as Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Pat Cummins were also unavailable.
Warner has a young family and Cummins fiancee is pregnant and some other players have minor injuries but the stresses of quarantine life has taken a toll as a massive stretch of cricket looms including the World Cup followed by the Ashes.
Selection chairman Trevor Hohns said this week he was disappointed to not have the players available and respected their decisions but stressed that with the T20 World Cup looming later this year the players had given rivals a chance to press for inclusion at the 11th hour.
“We cannot force them to go on a tour but what we can say is that they are giving another player an opportunity,’’ Hohns said.
When asked whether he could understand Australian fans may feel frustrated that players could contest the IPL then withdraw from national duties, Hohns said: “Yes I certainly can however that is out of our control. If a player wishes to make himself unavailable that is his prerogative.’’
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Cricket’s club versus country debate has come into firm focus with seven players who played in the postponed Indian Premier League making themselves unavailable for white ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh next month.
Steve Smith was unavailable due to an elbow injury with Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Pat Cummins out for a variety of reasons, most relating to the lingering stresses of quarantine life.
Warner has a young family and Cummins fiancee is pregnant.
Selection chairman Trevor Hohns said he was disappointed to not have the players available but respected their decisions.
He did, however stress that with the T20 World Cup looming later this year the players had given rivals a chance to press for inclusion at the 11th hour.
When asked whether he could understand Australian fans may feel frustrated that players could contest the IPL then withdraw from national duties, Hohns said: “Yes I certainly can however that is out of our control. If a player wishes to make himself unavailable that is his prerogative.
“We cannot force them to go on a tour but what we can say is that they are giving another player an opportunity.
“It will be an interesting discussion for us going forward no doubt about that, depending on performances in the West Indies by some of the extra inclusions in that tour. If someone shot the lights out with the bat or ball we would have to stand up and take notice.’’
The IPL is likely to be postponed until September with the World Cup to follow in October.
Hohns said he would “certainly hope’’ that all players would prioritise playing for Australia ahead of their IPL commitments at that stage but there is likely to be no clash of schedule and the fact that the IPL and World Cup are both likely to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates could even help their preparations.
The selectors named an 18 man party which included the recall of the evergreen T20 journeyman Dan Christian, promising batsman Ben McDermott and debutant fast bowler Wes Agar who will tour with his brother Ashton.
“Wes has been dominant in the Big Bash and we really like what he brings to the table on his debut Australian tour while Ben McDermott is a proven performer in white ball cricket as an explosive middle order batsman,’’ Hohns said.
“We are equally excited to welcome Dan Christian back into Australian colours with his wealth of global T20 experience, leadership and insight into the game. His ability as a strike weapon and batting closer is renowned around the world.
Australian squad for tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh:
Aaron Finch (c) (Victoria), Ashton Agar (Western Australia), Wes Agar (South Australia), Jason Behrendorff (Western Australia), Alex Carey (South Australia), Dan Christian (New South Wales), Josh Hazlewood (New South Wales), Moises Henriques (New South Wales), Mitchell Marsh (Western Australia), Riley Meredith (Tasmania), Ben McDermott (Tasmania), Josh Philippe (Western Australia), Mitchell Starc (New South Wales), Mitchell Swepson (Queensland), Ashton Turner (Western Australia), Andrew Tye (Western Australia), Matthew Wade (Tasmania), Adam Zampa (New South Wales)
NB: Tasmania’s Nathan Ellis and New South Wales Tanveer Sangha will join the tour as travelling reserves.
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