Cricket 2022: Test great Matthew Hayden has culture concerns over white ball snub

Matthew Hayden believes the continued absence of white ball stars in Australia does not pass the pub test. And he says it should come at a cost.

Matthew Hayden believes Australia’s cricket culture will be torn apart if it continues to let players “cherry pick’’ when they want to play white ball games for their country.

Test great Hayden believes players should be forced to make financial concessions if they skip white ball national tours to focus on the Indian Premier League and feels the issue should be addressed in the next memorandum of understanding between the players and Cricket Australia.

Hayden’s comments came after seven players made themselves unavailable for last year’s white ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh and three senior players – Pat Cummins, David Warner and Josh Hazlewood – will be rested from the white ball series against Pakistan next month before heading to India for the IPL.

CA has forbid the players from playing in the IPL until the last Australia-Pakistan game is completed on April 6.

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Josh Hazlewood is being rested from the upcoming white ball series to prepare for the IPL. Picture: Getty Images

The Covid world and its bubble life has provided special challenges for selectors, as has the sensitive issue of touring Pakistan with its security challenges.

But it is clear that white ball internationals are not the priority they used to be for players, particularly in the shadow of the IPL, which has Hayden concerned.

“When players are choosing not to play for their country it is a massive flag of concern for your high performance set-up,’’ Hayden said.

“I just don’t reckon it passes the pub test. The single biggest thing which ties everything together at that level is that you are all really keen to play for your country and if you haven’t got that I actually question whether you have a high performance culture at all.

“It just makes it so hard to build all the things you are trying to have like team values, principles, giving a s*** about your mates.

“I just feel Cricket Australia is being led around by the players lately and that has created a unique set of problems.

David Warner for his former IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. Picture: AFP

“You shouldn’t be able to cherry pick when you want to play for Australia. It does not make any sense to me.

“We all know how important the IPL is and it has its window and I know it can be difficult for players and administrators to operate within the confines of modern schedules but I still think you can’t have your cake and eat it.

“If you are unavailable to play for Australia there has to be some accountability. You shouldn’t be paid for work you don’t do and should have to salary sacrifice.

“People will say that I played IPL which is true but it never an any effect on my availability playing for Australia.

“I couldn’t wait to play for Australia because I spent seven years where I couldn’t get in the bloody team.’’

Originally published as Cricket 2022: Test great Matthew Hayden has culture concerns over white ball snub