Australia captain Pat Cummins hinted of giving the Indian Premier League (IPL) a miss next year and prioritise Test matches and the 50-over World Cup.
The 33-year-old made his IPL debut in 2014, and in the last three editions he has led the Sunrisers Hyderabad, which made it to the playoff stage this season.
Australia have a packed calendar next year with four Test in India in January and February, followed by a 150th anniversary Test against England in Melbourne in March, and then the Ashes before November.
“Something has got to give at some stage next year and it’s going to be Test matches or an ODI World Cup,” Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I will make a call a lot closer and work with the franchise to see what makes sense. Things can change. I’ve had a couple of injuries pop up, so I don’t really want to ​lock in anything.
“The priorities for me are always the Test matches and that ODI World Cup. I dare say if I play all of India, I need some sort of break before a pretty gruelling Ashes series.”
Cummins played only the Adelaide Ashes Test during the last home summer and also missed the T20 World Cup as he managed an ongoing back issue.
With fellow pace spearheads Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc also now in their 30s, Cummins said Australia could consider resting some of their fast bowlers during the home series against New Zealand around the New Year to keep them fresh for a busy schedule ahead.
“It’s possible. I think we’re fairly open-minded to anything, as we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” Cummins said.
He added that workload management could become important, especially with a packed calendar leading up to the Ashes.
“I see a world where we’re potentially winding some bowlers down, even say at the back end of an Indian series if they don’t look like they’re going to play, to give them an extra rest ahead of the Ashes,” he said.
Cummins acknowledged that the next 18 months will be demanding for the Australian team but believes it could also be one of the most fulfilling phases of their careers.
“It’s going to be a big push the next 18 months or so, but I think we’ll look back on it hopefully and see it as one of the more rewarding periods of our career.”
