BBL 2020: Steve Smith ruled out of Big Bash, amid Cricket Australia burnout fears

Cricket Australia is prepared to make tough decisions on looking after player welfare this summer even if it means raising the ire of broadcasters, with key players expected to miss BBL|10.

Steve Smith captain of Rajasthan Royals plays a shot during match 9 of season 13 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on the 27th September 2020. Photo by: Rahul Gulati / Sportzpics for BCCI

Steve Smith has ruled himself out of the Big Bash, as fears escalate that Australia’s headline stars could be burnt out before the summer even begins.

The announcement of Cricket Australia’s bumper schedule against India was met with excitement and relief across the game earlier this week, but now the stark reality has set in that players from both teams may line-up at the starting blocks on the verge of already being mentally cooked.

In an exclusive interview with News Corp from their IPL compound in Dubai, Smith and Australian assistant coach Andrew McDonald questioned how long cricketers can continue operating in bubbles, and declared players must be able to have honest conversations about their mental health this summer.

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Steve Smith of the Rajasthan Royals will not be playing the Big Bash this year.

It’s almost inevitable that a couple, if not all of the ‘big four’ of Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will have to be rested during next month’s ODI and T20 series, in what shapes as a delicate discussion point with Fox Sports who pay tens of millions for the exclusive rights.

Smith’s revelation that he won’t make himself available for the business end of the Big Bash season – as he did last summer – also serves as another major body blow for the game and its broadcasters, particularly the already agitated Channel 7.

“It’s still early days with the bubbles. We don’t know how long it’s going to last for. There’s an uncertainty there,” Smith told News Corp as part of a hygiene message for hand sanitiser, Lifebuoy.

“It’s just going to be about having open conversations with coaches, general managers, whoever, to ensure that people are keeping their head space in a reasonable place.

“Then there’s obviously going to be questions around selection. If someone takes some time off because they’ve been in the bubble for a long time and then someone comes in and plays well, do they take their spot?

“… When guys are starting to find things a bit tough mentally from just living in the bubble, being able to get out – even if it might just be a few days of being normal might be a real help.

“Those conversations need to be had.”

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Steve Smith has been living in a bubble since August and says he’ll need a break before the Australia-India test. Picture: AFP.

One of the highlights of last year’s BBL was Smith joining the Sydney Sixers for their road to glory. But it won’t happen this season.

“I’ll be honest with you – absolutely no chance,” said Smith, highlighting the strain on players who have been away in the UK and UAE in what’s been dubbed “double bubble” since late August.

It’s hard to imagine how white ball stars Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell for example – who have also been away as long as Smith – could start an ODI and T20 series the day they exit quarantine on November 27, and then play an entire Big Bash tournament without a break.

Smith’s Rajasthan Royals coach McDonald has learnt during the IPL that COVID-cricket isn’t about winning, which casts a different light on what the Australia-India Test match rivalry might look like this summer with so many fatigued stars.

“The big fear is the sustainability of it all, also the burnout factor,” said McDonald.

“The mental demands on the players have just gone up in terms of what they’re dealing with.

“Any time you lose autonomy as a human being, which is pretty much what bubble life is – it shrinks down your options. I think that can create some real fatigue which can also transition into that physical aspect as well.

“… People judge what’s happened on wins and losses and I don’t think it’s about that. It’s about how we get players through in a healthy state around their welfare.”

Australia Head Coach Justin Langer says the game wont sacrifice player welfare to appease others. Picture: Getty Images.

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Cricket Australia is listening and are moving heaven and earth to get players’ families to Sydney for the start of the white ball series in a bid to ease the feelings of isolation. Coach Justin Langer says nothing will compromise player welfare, even if some sections of the game don’t like the idea of big names being rested.

“When we sat down with the boys in England and showed them the schedule and what it means with different quarantine restrictions, you could see the blood drain out of their faces for personal and professional reasons,” said Langer.

“While some people won’t agree with it at times, our people, our players, our staff are high priority for us to make sure they’re healthy and happy.

“We are going to have manage our players really well throughout this summer. There was talk about Matthew Wade missing the first two Shield games. If he’d gone straight from England, straight to play the Shield, straight into the white ball cricket, straight to play Test cricket, straight into the BBL, then straight to South Africa (next February), he wouldn’t see his family for six months.

“I had a really long talk to Finchy last night, which is great. We are aware (of it). We don’t talk about looking after our people and not follow up on it.”

*Lifebuoy is the official hand hygiene partner of Rajasthan Royals. Lifebuoy’s mission is to improve the hygiene behaviour of more than one billion consumers worldwide. To find out more, please visit www.unilever.com

Originally published as BBL 2020: Steve Smith ruled out of Big Bash, amid Cricket Australia burnout fears