Australian captain Pat Cummins had delved into his decision to skip next year’s IPL season – and it all comes down to having too much cricket.
The fatigue of international fixtures isn’t just for cricket fans it seems, with many players and ex-players citing the stacked schedule as a major issue.
Tim Paine recently suggested that T20 internationals should be put on the back-burner, instead focusing on domestic competitions and playing a major tournament in the format every four years.
Cummins will be the busiest man in Aussie cricket in the next 12 months, captaining both the Test and ODI sides in their quest for Ashes and World Cup glory.
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Speaking on SEN’s The Run Home, the 29-year-old explained his IPL withdrawal and admitted the captaincy played a part in his major decision to give up a huge payday.
“There’s just so much cricket in the next 12 months really, that was the deciding factor,” Cummins said.
“We’ve got 15 Test matches, hopefully we make the Test championship final, and then we’ve got plenty of ODIs and the ODI World Cup.
“If I played that, I wouldn’t get too much of a break so I’m trying to pinch a bit of time at home.
“In the past I have made decisions around trying to be physically fresh…captaincy adds that little bit of an element of trying to be mentally fresh for decision-making and being right up for it as well.
“I know there’s a small little window where I’m captain and we have these amazing series that we are going to be part of next year.
“You don’t want to look back at the end of your cricket career and didn’t think you gave it your best crack.”
Cummins will take over the 50-over job from Aaron Finch, who announced his retirement earlier this year, and will begin his move into the captaincy in the series against England, beginning on Thursday afternoon in Adelaide.
And while the short-term focus is on this three-game series, Cummins is also looking forward to breaking a lengthy drought in two major away Test series in 2023.
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“Until we won a T20 World Cup, that was right up there [as a priority], because the Aussie men’s team had never won,” he said.
“I think now, we have had huge success at home, so you look to those series wins that happen really rarely.
“We have an Indian Test series which I don’t think we have won for 20-odd years, and an away Ashes series which we haven’t won for 20-odd years.
“They are the kind of series, when you map out your career, if you can win them they are the rare ones.”
