With the ICC World Test Championship Final and the Ashes series coming up, the Australian team is getting ready for two big red-ball games. Former Australian captain Allan Border questioned the team’s choice not to play warm-up games, calling it “risky.”
The idea that they wouldn’t play any practice games before the series started perplexed Allan Border. He said that the time spent working on the nets couldn’t replace the time spent playing, and he stressed the value of playing warm-up games before big games.
“No matter how hard you work in the nets, nothing can take the place of game time. I’m surprised that we’re just letting the Ashes tour be so packed with no cricket in between, but that’s how it is. I get it, we’ve got IPLs and T20s, I understand. The game has changed. But Border told Fox Cricket, “I think there’s a chance for us to go to England early and play a couple of games to get things in order.”
“It just doesn’t seem right not to play any cricket before an Ashes match. I just think that’s dangerous, and something in me tells me it’s the wrong choice,” he said, adding that he was worried about the choice made by the Australians.
The Australian legend was also worried because the team led by Pat Cummins hadn’t played in four months and hadn’t won a red-ball series in England since 2001.
“In between the Test matches, we played two three-day games, and we also played the day after the Test match. The schedule was pretty full, but no one died and no one got hurt. Everyone had a good time.”
“It was wonderful. You could let people rest or give them chances to get back in shape. It really worked out well. Four months went by while we were away. People just don’t do that anymore,” he said.
India will play the team led by Pat Cummins in the ICC World Test Championship Final on June 7 at London’s The Oval. The Ashes series will start on June 16 at Birmingham’s Edgbaston. A few of the players are also in the IPL 2023, getting ready for the playoffs, while others, like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, have been following the County Championship.
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