the reason behind Pat Cummins’ team not playing a tour game in the subcontinent prior to the Test series is because “we no longer trust” the facilities offered by the host country, according to legendary Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy. Prior to the four-test Border-Gavaskar series, Australia would not play a single tour game, and Usman Khawaja, a member of the team, recently stated that there was no use in playing practice matches because the wickets prepared for tour fixtures and genuine matches in India were quite different. “Have you ever been pre-tour with us (Australia)? They can be spinning wickets when we play but we go to the practice matches and they are green Gabba-like wickets out there (in India), so what’s the point,” Khawaja had said during a press conference earlier this month.
Khawaja’s concept was supported by Healy, who thought it was a good idea to gather the touring party spinners in Sydney before the tour to get them used to replica India pitches. “We’ve gathered our spinners in Sydney for strategic talks (on replica India surfaces)… we no longer trust that the requested facilities will be provided for a nation,” Healy said on SEN Radio on Monday. “We’ve been part of this shenanigan too by the way… when we’re over (in England) we spend our time whining about weakened County teams that England put up as our opposition before the series.”
Healy argued that the practice of home boards preparing distinct sets of wickets for tour games and actual matches amounts to a breach of “faith” and that it is not something he supports. “Our focus in cricket has shifted from creating opportunities and the experiences for our best up and coming cricketers… now we deny touring team’s quality preparation before very highly anticipated series and I don’t like it. It’s disappointing to watch such dismantling of trust between cricket’s nations and it needs to stop,” added Healy.