Dedicated windows for IPL and Tests make it easier for players to make decisions: Cummins

London, July 7, 2024-

Australia’s ODI and Test captain Pat Cummins has called for a change in the unforgiving cricket schedule, adding that specific time slots to play the IPL and the longest format would make it easier for players to make a decision.

Speaking this week at the MCC World Cricket Connects 2024 held at Lord’s, Cummins said: “Franchise cricket is more lucrative, more attractive than international cricket for some countries. If I was going to play franchise cricket, I could probably be gone for half or a third of what we pay for Australia.”

“In Australia you know Test cricket is from November to January and basically no other cricket is going to get in the way of us playing Test cricket. If we can have specific windows for IPL but also Test windows then that makes the decision-making a lot easier for the players,” Cummins was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Meg Lanning, the Australian captain who won the World Cup in women’s cricket multiple times, felt it was becoming increasingly impossible for top female players to do it all: play international cricket and compete in leagues around the world.

“I think the reality is that you can’t play everything these days, both internationally and nationally, as one of the top players. I think it’s too much. And while it seems fine in the beginning and for a few years, I think it’s inevitable that you get burned out,” she said.

Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird addressed concerns about the sustainability of Test cricket in the future at the summit. “There was talk about sharing the economy and recognising that larger nations could potentially play a role. But there were also questions about how many sustainable Test-playing nations are there?

“Do you have a smaller number of Test playing nations that are sustainable, rather than trying to maintain a system with additional costs that increase the economic challenges of maintaining Test cricket?

“We don’t believe (Cricket Australia) should dictate to any country, but we are open to ideas and proposals on how we can support Test play. There is a summer to fill, and white-ball cricket can play a role, but (Test cricket) still remains the dominant sport in Australia. It is very clear that Australia will support, invest in and grow Test cricket opportunities for as long as we can,” he concluded. (Agency)