Ricky Ponting was suspended for just three days of the Pakistan Test for Channel Seven, and did not turn up on the final day when Australia won the match. BBL coach Trevor Bayliss has withdrawn from coaching his side’s clash with the Sydney Thunder on Tuesday. They both traveled to Dubai to attend the grand IPL auction on December 19.
While Ponting has just skipped commentary duties to take on his role as IPL coach, Bayliss leaving his team for the IPL auction has been questioned across the Australian media.
Code Sports, which first reported that Ponting’s absence was due to the auction, described its report as follows: IPL supremacy was exposed when Ponting left the Test early and the Thunder coach skipped the match. news.com.au curated tweets from social media – “IPL supremacy has gone berserk”.
On Sunday, Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg said speculation around the BCCI’s second IPL window in September would “cause chaos”.
“My first impression is that it was certainly not surprising,” Greenberg told SEN Radio. “There will always be an extra window that will wreak havoc on bilateral cricket and the rest of the cricket community, so it’s a real challenge.
“And this is not something that I think you can simply look at in the short term. I honestly think we need to be conscious of ensuring that all international cricketers need to continue to play meaningful cricket. We have seen that improve with the World Test Championship which has contributed to the Test Cricket Mind you I would say we need to do more for some of the other countries that are further along I think in Test cricket.
“This will be difficult. It will obviously be lucrative for the elite players, but it will put enormous pressure on boardrooms and cricket pairs around the world.”