Justin Langer: Big Bash, Perth Scorchers fans and Jhye Richardson all losers after Cricket Australia call

The Big Bash kicks off tomorrow with powerhouses the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Sixers taking each other on at Optus Stadium. Both teams host several big-name players; none bigger than Australian white ball captain Mitch Marsh, Pakistani superstar Babar Azam, and a group of young talented Australian domestic stars. But there is one notable absentee from today’s match. Jhye Richardson. For many reasons, Cricket Australia’s decision to omit him from tonight’s BBL opener makes zero sense. For one, Richardson himself loses out. He has been asked to fly to Adelaide to be with the Australian team in the lead-up to Wednesday’s Test match. He is not in the official squad of 15, so in essence he is heading to Adelaide as a net bowler. CA’s stance will be that this is part of his rehabilitation after having surgery on his shoulder at the back end of last season’s BBL. He played an Australian A game against England A last week and there will be an argument he needs to keep bowling overs, “just in case” he is required for selection in the last two Ashes Test matches. The problem with this is that the chances of Richardson playing in the Boxing Day Test or Sydney Test matches are so remote it becomes more confusing why he can’t play tonight’s season opener. Captain Pat Cummins returns from injury and Nathan Lyon will play in Adelaide. This means in-form bowlers Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett will make way. My maths tells me that 16 doesn’t go into 11 and therefore Richardson has fallen further down the line. Even if Pat Cummins can’t play back-to-back Tests, Neser and Doggett will surely come in as the next replacements. In nearly 12 months, Richardson has played only one first-class fixture, so it seems unlikely he would overtake those heroes who helped Australia two-nil up. That in mind, surely playing a BBL fixture, bowling at full intensity, not “net intensity”, (there’s a difference), would be a worthwhile part of his rehabilitation. It also questions why he needs to bowl his “extra” overs in Adelaide and not here in Perth. Is there a lack of trust in the system? National eyes were on him last week, and yet, he needs them on him during the net sessions this week? Strange. CA might say this has been the plan all along, to ensure all bases are covered “just in case” he’s needed for the Ashes. But plans can change. Adaptability is important. As is common sense. For Richardson, he misses the chance to bowl in a big game in front of an electric Perth Scorchers crowd. And with that, his chances of being selected in the IPL mini auction on Tuesday night in Abu Dhabi diminish substantially. Having not played much competitive cricket, the franchises will be questioning his absence. ‘”Out of mind, out of sight” and all that. Then there are the franchise’s woes. Every team wants their best team on the park and that applies to any sport. This a very competitive competition and every game counts. The Perth Scorchers in this instance, have no say in the omission of Richardson and they are sure to be frustrated that their leading bowler is unavailable because he is bowling in the Adelaide Oval nets. From Cricket Australia’s point of view, separate from the Australian selectors, decisions like this also don’t add up. There is much discussion about privatising the Big Bash franchises. In a summer where CA will be determined to provide an attractive commodity to potential buyers, it is crucial they put the best product possible to the market. Above all else, this means a product that has the very best players available at every opportunity. Presently, I am coaching in the IPL and The Hundred in England. The great strength of both competitions is that their international players play every game. Both competitions are very strong and provide the broadcasters, who pay big money through broadcast rights, with an exciting, competitive, attractive tournament for fans who pay their hard-earned money to watch the game. One step further, Lucknow Super Giants, who I work with in India and England, also own the Durban Super Giants in South Africa. CA must be careful because the South African tournament runs at the same time as the BBL, attracts very high-level internationals and runs for a shorter period. In the first season of private ownership, South African cricket controversially chose to send a third-rate Test team away, so their best players would play the SAT20. This caused mayhem amongst the critics, but their officials stood strong, because they could see the bigger picture. Three years down the track, many say it is now the second-strongest domestic T20 league in the world, SA are the world champions in Test cricket, and they are mounting a strong case against the Big Bash. CA Chairman Mike Baird, CEO Todd Greenberg, BBL CEO Alistair Dobson and Australian Players Association CEO Paul Marsh will never stand in the way of team operations; that is fair enough, but they must ask the tough questions to ensure the bigger picture is never lost. In this instance, Jhye Richardson not playing a BBL game tonight might seem inconsequential, but if you were to ask him, the franchise, the broadcaster, the fans, the potential investors, and the health of the league, you might get a different answer. Sometimes these consequential calls have consequences.