Warne said that he doesn't begrudge players choosing to earn as much money as they can but it's only in international cricket where they can test themselves against the best.
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Legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne believes that players who opt to feature in T20 leagues rather than playing for their national teams might not be worth getting selected by the latter. Warne’s statement is certainly an interesting one considering the tricky scenario in the case of nations like the West Indies. The former Australian player clarified that he does not harbour any grudges towards players looking to earn as much money as they can. Warne however was firm in his belief that it’s only in international cricket, particularly Test cricket where they can test themselves against the best players in world cricket.
“I don’t begrudge the players getting, it’s fantastic. If they want to take the money, (let them) take it. But if you want to play cricket for your country and (still) you choose to play the IPL over your country, then maybe it’s not worth picking those guys. Otherwise this is going to happen, people are going to rest and miss Test matches and miss representing your country to go and play for money,” said the former Australian cricketer on the Road to Ashes podcast.
Warne discussed the hard choice that players have to make when it comes to franchises offering a lucrative sum for them to represent the team for a lesser time period, in comparison to the money earned in an international Test series.
“It’s pretty hard, you know if, someone says here’s three million bucks and play for a short term or go over somewhere and play for six weeks being away from your family, it’s a very easy decision to take that money. But if you value yourself as a cricketer and want to test yourself against the best, there’s only one spot to do it and that’s international cricket, especially Test cricket. If you want to choose the money, that’s fine, no problem, but you might have to wait for a few Test matches and you might go down a few runs no matter how good you are because there’s always someone that can replace you,” he stated.
Warne’s statements come on the back of reports with regard to the schedule for the T20 World Cup. The tournament is expected to start a few days after the conclusion of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The popular cash-rich league might well see players missing out on Tests for featuring in the edition.
The 2021 men’s T20 World Cup will begin from October 17 in the UAE, with the final scheduled for November 14. The 16-team tournament will start a few days after the final of the IPL 2021. The final of the cash-rich league is expected to be held on October 15. The remaining matches of IPL 2021 which was suspended due to COVID-19 cases, will start on September 19.
This information is according to a report in Cricinfo, with the BCCI yet to write to the ICC officially about shifting the T20 World Cup to the UAE. As per the current plan, the first round of the T20 World Cup will be split across two groups. The games will be played in the UAE and Oman. Round 1 will include 12 matches, comprising of eight teams from (which four top two of each group) would qualify for the Super 12s. Four teams from this group of eight teams: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea will progress to the Super 12s. This will see them join the top eight ranked T20I teams.
The Super 12s phase expected to start from October 24, will comprise 30 matches. The teams will be split across two groups of six each, with matches played at three venues in the UAE. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are those venues. The same will be followed by three playoff games: the two semi-finals and the final.
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