Oz players should be contractually bound to play in Sheffield Shield: Jones

MELBOURNE - Former Australian batsman Dean Jones reckons Australian players should be contractually required to play at least one Sheffield Shield match a season to strengthen the competition.

Jones said that the absence of national players from the domestic scene was coming at a cost to the quality of the shield competition.

“I think all Australian players should be required to play at least one Sheffield Shield game a year. They are too quick to say they can’t play Sheffield Shield,” The Age quoted Jones, as saying.

“Previously you knew when a player had made a few hundreds or taken five-fors at shield level he had done it against the best bats and bowlers in the country, against the Test players, but not now.”

“The shield players need to be able to measure themselves against the best players in the country and that is at shield level. Tom Moody was coach of WA for three years and he never once had Mike Hussey available to play for him,” he added. (ANI)