David Warner unhappy with Cricket Australia’s ‘poor’ scheduling ahead of India tour

Australia opener David Warner has criticised the scheduling decision of different international formats made by Cricket Australia which is set to see him miss his side’s Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka next month, which ends on February 22, a day before the first Test against India..

New Delhi

Thanks to the close scheduling of the T20 series against Sri Lanka and the Test Tour of India, Australia’s first-choice T20 side -- including David Warner (in pic), captain Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Starc-- will be unable to get a good hit out in the game’s shortest format.(Reuters)

Australia vice-captain David Warner has slammed poor scheduling by Cricket Australia that makes them play a T20 international at home a day before an all-important Test series begins in India. In an interview with Foxsports.com.au, Warner said such scheduling doesn’t allow T20 players to focus on the next Twenty20 World Cup that is scheduled to be held in Australia in 2020.

“Scheduling is obviously Cricket Australia’s area,” Warner was quoted as saying in the interview. “They play the big role in putting that on. For me, it’s about going out there and playing the game and not worrying too much about that. In saying that, it is very, very poor scheduling. To have your Test team going away to play a Test match... it doesn’t make any sense to us. I don’t like it,” he said.

The problem revolves around the three T20Is Australia are scheduled to play against Sri Lanka at home on February 17, 19 and 22. This has led to a situation where several T20 players like captain Steve Smith, Warner, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Starc will not be able to participate in the series as they have to join the Test squad to prepare for the India series.

“Those of us who are part of the T20 team have a bigger goal and bigger picture, and that is to win a World Cup. You want to be putting your best team on the park all the time. At the end of the day, you’ve got Big Bash and IPL. If me, Smithy, Starcy, Ussy, Shaun Marsh - all these guys that are in the Australian T20 team from the previous World Cup - if we are not playing any T20 cricket in Australia where the next World Cup is meant to be, it becomes quite a tough thing for selectors to work around,” said Warner.

Australia are scheduled to play three T20 international matches against Sri Lanka at the MCG (February 17), Geelong (February 19) and Adelaide Oval (February 22), and the first Test of the Qantas Tour of India in Pune the following day.

The Steve Smith-led side are yet to win a World T20 title, having made it to the finals only once when they were runners-up to England in 2010.