Australia’s Zim series is set to clash with the Hundred

DAVID Warner’s manager has slammed Cricket Australia over a scheduling conflict that could result in the star opener skipping an ODI series against Zimbabwe later this year.

James Erskine said Warner and several of his teammates had agreed to play in England’s new Hundred tournament, which starts in July and runs through to the middle of August, before the prospect emerged of a series against Zimbabwe clashing with those dates.

“There was no cricket on at the time. Cricket Australia can’t basically schedule retrospectively against the Hundred. There are lots of Australians, who have made commitments to the Hundred. My gut feeling is they (players) will all turn around and say: ‘Find some other dates’,” Erskine told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

“They (CA) have got to get their scheduling much further in advance, they can’t just do it now. That’s my view.

“They have got to really think about what they are doing here. They have stuffed up their summer of cricket with a deal with India. They have got to be very careful with what they do. They are meant to be custodians of the game. Quite frankly, they have got to get their act together.”

The Hundred features 100-ball matches and is a more compact version of Twenty20 for television purposes, and concludes on August 15.

The ICC’s future tours programme had originally planned the Zimbabwe series, most likely to be held at non-traditional international venues in the Northern Territory and Queensland, for June, but CA and Zimbabwe Cricket are now looking at a mid-August schedule.

CA said yesterday dates for the series are yet to be finalised, but players would be expected to choose representing their country over club cricket.

That drew an angry response from Erskine.

“Players have made commitments to play in the Hundred because the dates were made free. Cricket Australia can’t then go and schedule something after they have made commitments to the Hundred. It would be absurd,” Erskine said.

“Surely there are enough dates to work it out. I can’t believe that Zimbabwe are that busy. There is no way Cricket Australia can upset the English cricket board.

“They have made commitments. Once you make your commitment, you make your commitment. It’s a golden rule for a five-year-old child.”

Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Aaron Finch joined Warner in securing the maximum contracts of $236 000 at the Hundred auction, while Dan Christian, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa are the other Australians signed to Hundred teams. – Foxsports.com.au

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