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Follow UsSouth Africa’s relatively inexperienced Test squad for the two-match New Zealand series has opened Pandora’s box in world cricket. It has led to several criticisms worldwide, with captains puzzled about the country’s decision to have a Test overlapping with their premier T20 competition - SA20.
Cricket Australia (CA)’s chief Nick Hockley wasn’t any different, stating that there should be a minimum of three matches for a Test series, which would prevent the boards from playing around with their squad. He also insisted that there needs to be some work done on the Future Tours Programme (FTP)
A large chunk of the ongoing FTP (2023-27) has a two-match Test series in the schedule, with a three-match Test series only reserved for the likes of India, Australia and England.
"The preference is a minimum three-Test series," Hockley told SEN. "So we'll keep advocating and championing that. I do think there is work to be done on the FTP (Future Tours Programme) going forward, and it's really [about] cementing the World Test Championship, [and] really advocating for three-Test series as an absolute minimum.
One thing that Australia have done with great success over the last decade is to have minimal overlap between international cricket and their premier T20 competition, the Big Bash League.
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Not just that, there is no compulsion on the national-bound players to be available for the competition, unlike SA20, which requires all its contracted players to be available for the competition.
"And then as best as we possibly can, making sure that [when it comes to] domestic T20 competitions, we minimise the overlap for those countries where it is an important source of revenue, so that every country is prioritising international - and particularly Test - cricket."
"That's been a wake-up call for everyone," Hockley said. "The role of T20 [in] bringing new kids and new people into the game can't be underestimated. The belief is that the two can coexist. This was suboptimal scheduling.
Hockley continued to pledge the other cricketing boards to prioritise international cricket in the wake of several new T20 leagues that have cropped up in world cricket.
"I think we in Australia - it's very clear that throughout the whole period the Big Bash has been around - have always prioritised international cricket. But this has shone a light. And certainly, we'll be working with the ICC through scheduling groups to make sure those types of clashes don't manifest and really champion the fact that people need to be prioritising international cricket."
"The challenge is the economics," he said. "There are parts of the world where the revenue from the T20, ODI and a Test are the same, yet the costs of putting on a Test are significantly higher.
"What we've seen over the last few years in Australia, what we're seeing this summer, and what we saw in the UK over the English summer is that Test cricket is really thriving in certain countries. And in that sense, it is a bit of a two-speed economy. The challenge is that we continue to support those countries that are struggling a little bit more in terms of Test cricket."
