Frustrated Alyssa Healy takes to Twitter as clash of the women’s IPL and the WBBL angers players
The decision to schedule a World T20 Challenge in India at the same time as the WBBL is causing angst among Australia’s leading cricketers and has sparked a war of words on social media.
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The timing of the longest-ever IPL had already ensured Australia’s star male players will be robbed of red ball practice leading into the summer, but the decision to run the women’s version of the tournament at the same time as the WBBL is causing angst among female players.
David Warner conceded recently that he, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood would be unlikely to have any chance of playing red-ball cricket ahead of the first Test if they are involved in the IPL, which runs from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE.
The first Test against Afghanistan is scheduled for November 21.
If that doesn’t go ahead as most expect, the Indians and Australians will fly from the IPL straight here to serve quarantine and prepare.
Warner noted that both sides would be in the same position and modern players are used to adapting.
The men have more options than the women.
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The announcement of the clash between the two women’s events was not well received by Australia’s female stars, lead by T20 World Cup star Alyssa Healy.
Last year a bungled negotiation between Cricket Australia and the BCCI saw Australia’s star female players blocked from the 2019 event.
This year clashing schedules means Indian women cannot compete in the WBBL and Australians will miss out on the IPL event unless they choose to abandon the WBBL, which runs from October 17 to late November.
The Indian Women’s T20 Challenge is a limited competition involving just three teams while the WBBL mirrors the men’s tournament and is the world’s leading female domestic competition.
Healy expressed her unhappiness on Twitter, saying it was a shame for Indian and “international marquee players” who had already signed WBBL contracts.
A host of her teammates supported Healy.
I’m sure I could drop a few cricketing degrees on Twitter as well. I’m comfortable I’ve had my say, it’s no longer my debate. That’s for the powers at be now! Next time pick up the phone and ring me and we can have the discussion. You can razzle dazzle me with your fancy words...
— Alyssa Healy (@ahealy77) August 3, 2020
Jess Jonassen said “I have no words for this” and Rachael Haynes was also disappointed.
“If true, it’s a shame,” she said. “While the game continues to grow, premier domestic competitions do not need to compete against each other. They can be used to showcase the game and support its development around the world.”
This year’s WBBL is already plotted in a series of hubs around the country, but there is an expectation it may be concentrated into one or two states.
The BCCI announced on Sunday it would have a prolonged version of the IPL in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, with a number of double headers and the expectation there may be crowds in the second half of the tournament.
The spread of coronavirus in India made it impossible for the tournament, which was postponed in March, to be held in the subcontinent. India recorded 1.1 million cases in July and a senior government Minister has been hospitalised.
Australia, unlike many other cricket countries, has been able to avoid a clash between the IPL and its domestic season because it was generally held at the end of the home summer.
After some testing early times, Cricket Australia realised it was best to allow the players to use their eight weeks leave to participate. Some bowlers were offered multi-year central contracts in the past to encourage them to use that time for recovery.
England only began releasing some players in recent years to participate.
Warner believes the IPL will not affect preparation.
“Usually you have a couple of Shield games leading into a Test series, especially at home,” he said recently. “I think the unique thing about it is the Indian team and ourselves are going to be in the same boat really.
“We’re going to have a lack of red-ball cricket preparation and end of the day we have to make the most of that time training in the lead up to the Test series.
“We’ve played enough high-level cricket to adapt to red-ball. But there are obviously guys back in Australia who won’t be playing in the one-day series or the IPL, who have to try and get ready to prepare.
“Hopefully there are a couple of games they can play interstate against each other, if something is put in place.
“We’re obviously unsure and unclear given states are in lockdown or not letting people from other states go interstate.
“We have to sit back and wait for the government and states to see what the regulations are behind that. All we can do really is train with our states and prepare as well as we can on the wickets provided to get ready for the season.”
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AUSSIE STARS AND JOURNOS IN TWITTER WAR
Aussie star Alyssa Healy and her World Cup winning teammates have hit social media hard to criticise a decision from the Board of Control for Cricket in India to effectively exclude them from a Women’s T20 challenge in early November.
And Healy has stood firm on her stance after a reporter took aim at her on Twitter.
After Healy described the decision as “soooo dumb” sports journalist Boria Majumdar — who refers to himself as a Rhodes Scholar in his Twitter profile — called on her to “be civil” while “media professional” Parth Savla described her as “selfish”.
The star batter and wicketkeeper responded: “Selfish?! If you actually read the thread it’s about players — including the Indian players with WBBL contracts who’ve been wanting to play it … also includes every other international player who’d love to support the Women’s IPL but can’t because they’re contracted to WBBL.”
The BCCI announced a three-team event would be played alongside the finals of the men‘s IPL competition, in direct competition with the WBBL, which was last month set in stone to run from October 17 to November 29.
Healy, the player of the final as Australia smashed India to win the T20 World Cup in March, got in to a Twitter debate pointing out most of the best players in the world had already signed on for the WBBL, including Indian stars.
“So the Indian players who’ve already signed WBBL contracts will do what? And all the international marquee players that will be in aus for WBBL? Good luck with it,” she tweeted.
Healy dismissed any suggestion there could be an “understanding” between the two countries, showing her loyalties were local.
“Our tournament is set and prepared. There won’t be any understanding. Fairly sure players will abide by their contractual agreements in Aus. Especially considering it’ll be leading into finals,” she said.
Aussie vice-captain Rachael Haynes supported Healy.
“If true, it’s a shame … while the game continues to grow, premier domestic competitions do not need to compete against each other. They can be used to showcase the game and support its development around the world,” she said.
Spinner Jess Johansson, just appointed captain of the Brisbane Heat, said she had “no words”.
At least three Indian players were bound for the WBBL, but would now likely stay at home.
Last season’s WBBL Player of the Tournament, Sophie Devine, praised the BCCI for making sure the women had a presence in the IPL, but she too questioned its timing.
“I know I’d love to be over there for it, but I’m contracted to WBBL and there will be lots of players in the same boat who will miss out on that opportunity,” the NZ captain said.
Agree. If true, it’s a shame... while the game continues to grow, premier domestic competitions do not need to compete against each other. They can be used to showcase the game and support its development around the world.
— Rachael Haynes (@RachaelHaynes) August 2, 2020
“On the flip side of that though, I suppose it gives other players, other internationals the chance to get over, which is the silver lining to it that more players will be exposed to different environments, different competitions and that’s great.
“You certainly hope in the future that boards are talking to each other … to make sure there aren’t too many clashes, you can’t avoid everything, but certainly in the future you’d hope that everyone is in the same boat and wanting to play as much women’s cricket as possible around the world.”
Devine, who has played five WBBL seasons with the Adelaide Strikers, played for the Supernovas in the 2019 Women’s T20 Challenge in India.
HEALY: DELAYED COMP BETTER THAN NOTHING
World Cup champion Alyssa Healy has declared Australia’s fleet of part-time women’s cricketers are prepared to move away into hubs to save their season.
Healy called on administrators to look at pushing the September start of the WNCL domestic competition back until after Christmas, but said abandoning the 50-over league altogether due to COVID-19 pressures would have a devastating impact on the women’s game.
For Australia’s internationals, they are still holding onto hope for a 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in February, but for many domestic cricketers the WNCL takes on even greater importance as their one and only window of top-class exposure for the summer.
The BBL and WBBL will receive priority as televised products, but there are concerns that the WNCL as well as the men’s Sheffield Shield and Marsh one-day Cup are being closely scrutinised as head office confronts the massive cost of staging so many competitions in a biosecurity bubble.
Cricket Australia is working hard to honour its schedule as much as possible.
Most WNCL players are on part-time contracts, with the cricketers juggling full-time jobs or study on the side. But Healy says the consensus from the playing group is that they’re prepared to make the personal sacrifice of moving away to get the competition played.
“The theme that’s come out of a couple of surveys and a lot of phone calls about what might potentially happen this season; the majority of responses have been, ‘yeah we’re willing to (go into hubs), we’re willing to do whatever we can to play cricket,’” Healy told News Corp.
“The girls work incredibly hard. Especially the State girls. They’re not contracted full-time but they pretty much train full-time and don’t get to play a lot of cricket (as is).
“They’re willing to put their hands up and do whatever they can to play as much as they can and if that means going into a bubble or a hub or six weeks, they’re willing to do that.
“I think that’s really great of them to put their hand up and it just shows what this game means to us and that’s why we want to make sure we’re playing as much as we can.”
The WNCL is due to start its early matches from September 19 ahead of Australian internationals against New Zealand, before resuming during the men’s Big Bash window from early December.
Healy believes one logical solution might be to push the WNCL back until after Christmas.
“For me I think it would be disappointing to see it scrapped altogether. I think there is a potential to delay it,” said Healy, who acknowledges the huge financial cost confronting CA and the States.
“I think there’s plenty of time within the New Year that things might have changed by then and we might be able to run it cheaper.
“I think those competitions in particular, the WNCL and the Shield competitions, are really important to cricket in this country and especially the growth of the game.
“From a current players’ point of view, I think we want to see it happen and I know the players are really wanting to see it happen and we’ll pretty much do whatever is required to be able to get it underway.
“Cancelling it altogether would be a real shame.”
Healy says she’s done some deep thinking about her international future during the COVID-19 forced break, but she is committed to the journey the women’s team is on and says her time left in the Australian shirt is still very much open-ended.
She still can’t quite believe her and teammates lifted a World Cup in front of more than 80,000 fans at the MCG literally days before Australian and world sport was completely shut down. It could stand as the last major global sporting crowd for some time yet.
“If someone is chatting to me down the street or down at the golf club, they want to talk about that day and how great it was and how great that it was the last thing anyone really saw,” Healy said.
*Alyssa Healy is participating in the Chappell Foundation winter sleep out to raise money for youth homelessness. Donate at sportsstarssleepout.com
THE REAL STORY BEHIND COUPLE’S BIG CHILL
Cricket’s power couple will emerge from their biosecurity bubble and into the cold of night to help the homeless, but Greg Chappell has been sent back to the place where millions used to watch him — the home couch.
The closing of the Queensland border has stopped Chappell from travelling to Sydney to attend his own foundation’s annual sports stars sleep out at the SCG this Monday, which raises money for youth homelessness.
Australian cricket stars Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc have been given the green light to attend despite the fact they’re both currently training under strict biosecurity measures.
Starc is set to leave for England on an Australian white ball tour on around the 21st of August, but for now is still allowed to operate as a normal private citizen outside of the measures put in place by Cricket NSW around training.
Healy and Starc have been told to take care observing social distancing while mixing with former athletes like Benny Elias, Stuart MacGill, Louise Sauvage and Andrew Mehrtens in the chilly air under the stars at the SCG, however, the Foundation has put restrictions on how many people are attending.
“It’s an interesting one. We’ve got restrictions here on our training here at Cricket NSW, and while they’re in place, it’s not necessarily stopping us from getting out and about,” Healy told The Saturday Telegraph.
“The Chappell Foundation have done a lot of work in making sure that the event is really safe, especially for a lot of the athletes that are going to be attending.
“Making sure they can go back into the environments and keep training.
“Honestly I think people are going to be sensible enough to make sure they’re doing everything right. Ultimately we don’t want to jeopardise the training programs we’re part of.
“It’s a really nice night to share together and obviously raise some funds and awareness about youth homelessness in Australia which I think is something not many people are aware of.”
The fact Test legend Chappell has been forced to call in via video link from the couch in Brisbane is seen as symbolic given youth homelessness often starts with couch hopping.
Donations can be made to the Sleep out at sportsstarssleepout.com.
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Queensland might be putting down the shutters to Sydney, but one truck has managed to make it across the border smuggling some secret cargo.
Soil from the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground wicket has been transported to Brisbane in a bid to try and boost the adaptability of Australian cricketers to different conditions and address the dearth in spin options around the country after Nathan Lyon.
The National Cricket Centre in Brisbane has expanded to a second location in Kalinga where Cricket Australia staff have carefully prepared wickets which replicate conditions at the SCG and Adelaide Oval.
The chance to bowl on a little slice of Sydney’s turning deck regularly is a major boost for spinners like Aussie prospect Mitchell Swepson, who have increasingly been sidelined by flat drop-in pitches around the country.
Cricket Australia’s drastic cost-cutting measures sparked fears that the country’s high performance centre could turn into a white elephant, but the new replica wickets signal a commitment to still make the NCC a centrepiece for national teams and aspiring stars to fly into to train.
Test opener Joe Burns is relishing the opportunity to be exposed to Sydney and Adelaide batting conditions in his own backyard in Brisbane.
“We’re really lucky in Brisbane to have world class facilities with the NCC and basically be leading world cricket in training facilities and then it just goes a step further now that we’ve got this second training precinct to go to and we’ve got wickets from around the country,” said Burns.
“Not only for guys in Brisbane to train but for Australian players and state players around the country. They can come up to Brisbane and they can get ready for cricket all around Australia from one central training hub.
“It’s going to keep promoting guys as to how to adapt their games to different conditions and for guys learning first class cricket, to understand that conditions change throughout the country. I think that can only be a good thing for when we actually go overseas as well.”
Not only has soil been trucked in from Sydney and Adelaide, but intelligence on the specific curating techniques used at those venues has also been passed on to ground staff in Brisbane.
They complement the subcontinental replica wickets the NCC already has.
Queensland spinner Swepson has been on the cusp of Australian Test selection for several years, and the arrival of the new wickets are timely as he looks to cement his position as Nathan Lyon’s understudy.
“A chance to actually train in those conditions will only lead him in good stead for when we do go to Sydney to play those games for Queensland and Australian matches as well,” said Burns.
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Cricket Australia high performance boss Drew Ginn said his predecessor Pat Howard as well as former national selector Greg Chappell had played a key role in making the bold plan a reality, along with current executives Belinda Clark and Scott Lardner.
“We‘re excited to be under way with this project, which has been years in the making,“ Ginn said.
“Importing different soil types from around the states will provide players at the NCC with the opportunity to train in conditions similar to those they would experience at major grounds around Australia.
“The new wicket square will give players invaluable exposure to different pitch types and allow them to improve their skills while at the NCC.”
Originally published as Frustrated Alyssa Healy takes to Twitter as clash of the women’s IPL and the WBBL angers players