Oz players want cricket calendar changed for T20 Big Bash involvement

SYDNEY - The Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) has informed Cricket Australia that leading players want the cricket calendar for the month of January revamped in order to join the Twenty20 Big Bash tournament.

At the moment, Australia’s ODI players have no chance of playing in the Twenty20 tournament until 2013 as they have ODI matches against England in January 2011 and a series against India in January 2012.

“The ACA believes it is critical to the appeal of the Big Bash competition that the involvement of Australian players is maximized,” Fox Sports quoted a ACA submission to CA, as saying.

“This is also based on the assumption that the total workload of these players would not increase, i.e., Big Bash games would replace international games,” he added.

ACA Chief Executive Paul Marsh claimed that the only way the new Big Bash could be highly successful was for all the best players to be available.

“Cricket Australia might have to bite the bullet and take some short-term pain for some long-term gain,” Marsh said.

The tournament will have eight teams playing each other twice before a finals series.

NSW and Victoria will have two teams, and the other states one each. (ANI)