Senior Australian players show mirror to Pakistan; to skip T20I series for preparation of Border-Gavaskar Trophy vs India

Australia's multi-format cricketers are set for the best red-ball preparation they've had in five years, with up to four Sheffield Shield matches available to fine-tune their skills before the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at home later this year.

Cricket Australia (CA) revealed the domestic summer schedule on Thursday, July 25, which also includes a new women's T20 competition before the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). Well, the Sheffield Shield and the men's One-Day Cup each comprised seven matches in recent seasons.

Australia's multi-format cricketers to get ideal Sheffield Shield preparation for India Test Series

However, for the first time in several years, Australia's multi-format players will have an extended run of Sheffield Shield games to gear up for the upcoming five-match Test series against India, to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after three years.

Australia's last overseas white-ball fixture for the year is on September 29 in England, allowing players a week before the Sheffield Shield season starts on October 8. Even if fast bowlers are rested in the first round, each state will have three more Sheffield Shield fixtures before the players gather for the first Test against India, beginning on November 22 in Perth.

Notably, Australia’s ODI and Test captain Pat Cummins will be skipping the entire limited-overs tour of England in September, while Mitchell Starc will only participate in the ODI series. However, Josh Hazlewood is set to play in both ODI and T20I series in England.

Starc played for New South Wales (NSW) during the 2020-21 season, while Cummins and Hazlewood haven't featured in Australia’s first-class tournament, Sheffield Shield, since November 2019. On the other hand, Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh has played just two Shield matches since 2019.

Meanwhile, Australia’s limited-overs series against Pakistan, starting on November 4, may affect the availability of multi-format players for the red-ball tournament. As the Australia versus Pakistan series is scheduled to play between November 14-18, there are high chances only those not involved in the Test squad will be selected for the three-match ODI series.

Australia in search for an additional batter for home Tests

Additionally, two Australia A versus India A matches in late October will also deter the players’ participation in the domestic competitions. However, the Sheffield Shield matches will provide opportunities for players like Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, and Cameron Bancroft to strengthen their cases for selection for the upcoming five-match Test series against India.

While Australia's Test team is largely stable, they will seek a reserve batter for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australian chief selector George Bailey had already said that there was no clear successor for Steven Smith or Usman Khawaja at the top of the order, as Renshaw, Harris, and Bancroft missed out on national contracts.

Bailey suggested that a specialist opener will eventually replace Smith or Khawaja in the long term, with Smith moving into the opener’s role to replace David Warner last summer. Six Shield rounds will be played before the Big Bash League (BBL) break, followed by four more matches in February-March.