Pat Cummins has advocated for dedicated windows for Test cricket so that players who want to play franchise leagues could plan their schedule without jeopardising their participation in the format.
Speaking at MCC World Cricket Connects 2024 at Lord's, Cummins opined that franchise cricket is more financially rewarding than international cricket for players of some countries. He also noted how players participating in those leagues can manage their calendars more effectively, contrary to international cricketers.
"Franchise cricket for some countries is more lucrative, more appealing than international cricket," Cummins was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. "If I went and played franchise cricket, I could probably be away for a half or a third of the amount we are for Australia."
Cummins calls for specific windows for Test cricket
Cummins highlighted that Test Cricket in Australia is played between November and January, and having a specific yearly time slot for it, just like the Indian Premier League (IPL), which happens around April-May, would allow players to plan their participation in the longest format better.
"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 then. If we can have specific windows for IPL but then also Test windows, that makes the decision-making for the players a lot easier," he said.
Earlier, England white-ball captain Jos Buttler also spoke along those lines and felt that IPL shouldn’t clash with international fixtures. "It’s my personal opinion that there shouldn’t be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL. I think that these games have been on the calendar for a long time," Buttler said to Sky Sports.
Meg Lanning, the former Australia captain, who struggled with her mental health for a long time before retiring from the game, was also present at the MCC summit, and stated that it's next to impossible for top players to be playing everything.
“The reality is in my view that you can’t be playing everything these days, both internationally and domestically as one of the top players,” Lanning said. “I think it’s too much. And while it might seem fine initially and for a few years, I think it’s just inevitable that you’ll get burnt out doing that.”
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