Shane Warne says cricketers must choose their tournaments to avoid burnout
With Twenty20 tournaments being held across the world, players have the opportunity to earn big dollars playing almost endless cricket. But Shane Warne says it can come at a price.
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Shane Warne wants cricketers to adopt a golfer’s mindset by carefully planning their calendars as Twenty20 tournaments pop up all over the world.
Warne – coach of London Spirit in England’s The Hundred league – selected Glenn Maxwell with his first pick in October’s draft and just days later the allrounder took a mental health break.
Maxwell said he was “mentally and physically ruined” after spending 209 consecutive nights away from his own bed this year.
“A holiday was actually spending time at home,” Maxwell said after his break.
"I did put a bit of pressure on myself to try and play as much as I could this year and, rightly or wrongly, I didn’t come out of it the way I thought I was going to.”
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Warne said he had “no real concerns” about Maxwell travelling to England for the six-week tournament that starts in July this year.
“I think the modern-day player has decisions to make. There’s a burnout factor, and it’s not because they’re playing more cricket – it’s the different forms and there’s so many different competitions around the world,” Warne told the Herald Sun.
“I was really impressed with Marnus Labuschagne when he said, ‘I’m not going in the IPL’ because he put priority on Test cricket, and wants that time off.
“So I think players have got to be careful to say that they’re burnt out if they keep taking up all these competitions and play all over the world and then they go, ‘Oh, I’m burnt out’.
“I understand it from the players (perspective) and it’s not an easy situation – it’s hard to knock back some of the money – but players, like golfers now, need to plan their year.”
Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch skipped this year’s Indian Premier League as he and wife Amy enjoyed their first holiday in seven years.
“I slept like a baby for about a week,” Finch said.
Finch will play for his eighth different IPL franchise this year after Royal Challengers Bangalore purchased him for close to $1 million.
David Warner repeatedly stated how “fresh” he felt after his 12-month suspension as he realised how taxing it was constantly having to be on time for buses, planes and hopping between hotels.
Warne said that while the cash on offer was tempting for players, it shouldn’t come at the expense of their mental wellbeing.
“(They need to say) I’m going to have a break here, even though the money is fantastic. I’m not playing that tournament, because I want to play the rest of the year,” Warne said.
“I don’t want to get burnt out. So I think they’ve really got to plan it like golfers and say, I’ll play that tournament and that tournament, rather than playing everything.”
Golden boy Pat Cummins will make just under $10,000 per delivery in the IPL while Mitchell Starc will earn $1500 for every ball in The Hundred.
Australia coach Justin Langer is happy for Cummins to play IPL this year, given there are back-to-back T20 World Cups coming up.
Originally published as Shane Warne says cricketers must choose their tournaments to avoid burnout
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