The overwhelming Ashes success of the Australian Test team, who took an unassailable 3-0 lead, and thereby regained the Ashes from England at the WACA this week, has allowed Cricket Australia to make an unexpected concession, by allowing three of the stars of the Ashes success to take part in the start of the Big Bash League later this week.
David Warner, Steven Smith and George Bailey, have all received permission to play in the opening round of the Australian domestic T20 competition, that begins later this week.
The three players who played key roles in the third Test victory at the WACA, with the two New South Welshmen both scoring centuries. while the Tasmanian, Bailey, equalled the world record for the number of runs scored in a single over in a Test match, as he smashed James Anderson for 28 runs, as Australia ground England into the Western Australian turf.
There has been much debate over the past few seasons, as to where CA’s priorities were. Such were the commercial demands of the BBL and the Champions League, that they often conflicted with the requirements of the national side, which was lurching from one crisis to another.
Pat Howard, the team performance manager of CA has held talks on a number of occasions with BBL teams concerning the use of players, and their availability to the franchises for the first round of this season’s tournament, but such has been the swift defeat of the old enemy, that unexpected room for manoeuvre between the third and fourth Tests has arisen.
Warner will join up with the Sydney Thunder, while Bailey will appear for the Hobart Hurricanes and Smith the Sydney Sixers. CA has also given the go ahead for Test reserve fast bowlers Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile to play in round one.
Other key members of the Test side; Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon have all been given rest time, following their efforts in the first three matches of the series.
