Ahead of Australia’s tour to India in the latter part of the year, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has said that it is necessary that the CA and the ACA resolve the pay dispute so that fans can enjoy their cricket and players can get on with the game.
In an interview to the PTI, Hayden said, “I think it will get resolved. but I am not sure how it will get resolved. That is because there have been mediation efforts and that have not been accepted.”
“Plans have been laid out pretty substantially. There has to be a meeting of the minds. And, it has to happen quickly. We have a tour of India coming up as well. It is very important part of meeting the ICC future tours programme. There is a lot at stake. Not to mention of the Ashes. (Matches against) India and the Ashes are the premium test match events in the Australian cricket culture. There is so much to lose by not resolving the issues.”
Hayden also spoke about Test cricket and its sustainability and said, “I have heard arguments that Twenty-20 cricket is always going to be a problem. T20 cricket is a solution. Test cricket is also a solution, to a different audience. You will never ever get test match cricket replaced. But, the administrators and International Cricket Council (ICC) in particular have to acknowledge the changing face of test cricket.”
“To have 14 test matches in a domestic summer in India is going to have effects on the fan base of cricket. No questions. Then you add on the other layers, of one-dayers and T20 international(s). Something has got to give.
“I don’t believe that the ICC is addressing the future tours programme as it could be to acknowledge the importance of T20 cricket, but also at the end of the stick acknowledge every stakeholder in the game loves test cricket. How do you balance that programme, is important?
“You have to be careful about the branding of test match cricket. This is what I think Australia and England have done particularly well, and South Africa, to a degree. They have protected the tradition of the game. Test match cricket is our blue chip property. There has to be a careful balance between T20 and One-day cricket,” said Hayden, who is here as a commentator for the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
On CSK’s return to the IPL fold in 2018, the Australian said, “I don’t think you can get a bigger fan of CSK than Hayden. I really missed CSK in the last two years. I was very disappointed that they were not there in the last two editions of IPL.
“The team’s success has been incredible and their fan base is massive. Importantly, it has been primarily focused on the key asset, cricket.”
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