Review of schedule to happen

Brett Lee: a one-day specialist © Getty Images

A review of the Australia domestic cricket schedule will take place at the end of the season as it seems increasingly likely that Brett Lee will not play a Pura Cup match or a Test at home in 2004-05. Yesterday John Buchannan, the national coach, asked for the schedule to be more accommodating for players who are on the verge of the Test team.

Last week New South Wales were not allowed to have Brett Lee turn out for them although it seemed clear that he would be 12th man for the Test against Pakistan at Perth. NSW's game against Tasmania at the SCG started on the same day as the Test, and even though state officials were willing to delay the start of their game to accommodate Lee, their suggestion was turned down by Cricket Australia.

Discussions will happen at the end of the season between the board and their Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA). Tim May, the chief executive of the ACA, who is a member of CA's programming committee, indicated that he would look favourably at a submission that permitted that internationals to return to his state team during a match.

"We are trying to do the best for the end product, which is the Australian cricket team," he told The Australian. "The elite players are the revenue driver. "We need to do whatever we can to enhance a player's ability to spend time on the track."

Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's operations manager, wants to preserve the integrity of interstate competitions. "We don't support players just nicking in on the last day of a match because they need a bit of a bowl or a bit of a hit," he told The Australian. "We have to look at this very carefully. A lot of research and understanding of the situation is required."

Buchanan had hoped that in future players like Lee might be released in time for domestic games. "Ideally, that would be the case," he told The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday. "When you try to mix all those games together it becomes quite difficult [but] what I'm sure the administrators will consider is this question of: 'If you're not playing what's the chance of returning for a state game or two'."

Under current regulations, Lee would not have been able to bat or bowl if he started the Pura Cup game as a substitute on the second day. NSW officials have indicated an interest in an England-style regulation which would enable Test discards to participate in a match that is already underway.