Australia's selector Trevor Hohns concerned by few Tests before Ashes series
Australia's selector Trevor Hohns expressed his deep concern over the lack of Test cricket ahead of the all-important five-Tests Ashes series in November 2021.
The South Africa tour originally slated for February was postponed owing to the Covid-19 situation which meant a 10-month Test cricket drought for Aussies as they would play the longer format against Afghanistan (one Test) in November right before the Ashes in the ongoing year.
Hohns is sanguine that Sheffield Shield cricket will help players get some red-ball practice and add to the fact that all top-flight cricketers would be available to play Australia's premier domestic competition, the season will offer good match practice and intense competition.
On the other hand, England has a jam-packed season that will provide them with ample Test match practice. England will play against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh before locking horns with their arch-rivals Australia in the Ashes.
"Very concerned about that, no doubt, and hopeful that they'll be plenty of Shield cricket, and I believe there will be, programmed leading up to the first Test," Hohns said.
"However, that won't help some of our players as hopefully they'll be fully engaged in the T20 World Cup.
"It's a difficult one, England are certainly playing plenty of Test cricket and we haven't got anything on the plate so it's a concern."
"There's no secret that there are positions available whether that's middle order or the top of the list. Yes, it is a concern because there's no standout but that's what we are challenging our players to really put their hands up at the start of next season then get into the Australia side and perform well when they do," Hohns said.
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