Michael Hussey’s Outspoken Critique of Packed International Cricket Calendar and Devalued T20I Series

It’s said that cricket is a religion in India and Michael Hussey happens to be one of its distinguished priests, who still compel his admirers across the cricket communities to pause and think. Known for his modern approach to cricket, Hussey doesn’t always feel like an orthodox disciple of the game. 

Recently, the former Australian cricketer, Michael Hussey, wrote a potential cricket game-changer in the form of a blog on ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’, voicing his opinions to the Cricket Australia board. According to him, the incumbent cricket calendar is packed with too many Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and a lack of context. With the risk of horse-trading present that might devalue the T20I series and only make money for the stakeholders, the former Australian cricketer feels that the quality of international cricket will take a hit due to the limited number of Test matches.

He laments the fact that there isn’t enough context in the T20I series, making the five-match series width-filled and emptiness-filled. As a result, teams are just playing for the sake of playing and not for any specific result. He attributes this state of affairs to the planned commercial break by the cricket boards that virtually benefits no one in terms of improving the quality of cricket. 

Moreover, he stresses the fact that the context in the respective tours has to be developed; else, chances are that some international tours wouldn’t be given as much priority as they deserve. This is because most T20I series have zero say in the rankings of the team or awarding marks to the players which results in them having a lack of investment into them. 

Michael Hussey also believes that better use of the limited resources for international cricket could be better served with the reintroduction of more Test and Quaid-e-Azam series. He claims that if the cricket boards re-prioritize their broadcast arrangements and other accompanying activities, they would be able to bring about a shift in the valuable quality of international cricket without necessarily investing big money into it. 

To conclude, with Michael Hussey’s blog, he played the part of a good citizen by highlighting the disparities in the international cricket calendar and how it can be revived to bring joy to the game across the cricketing communities. Certainly, it’s a refreshing break from the regular happenings in the cricketing world.