Kiwi legend Hadlee bats for ‘imperative’ Oz rotation policy

Sydney: Legendary New Zealand all rounder Richard Hadlee has become the first neutral voice from the world of cricket to voice his opinion in favour of Australia’s controversial rotation policy. Hadlee said the stresses of playing three forms of cricket make it imperative for selectors to rest their best players to avoid the threat of serious injury.

Hadlee said rotating players is imperative today, and he added when he looks back at his days, he knows they would not have liked it because they did not play enough games. The iconic fast bowler said but today with the amount of cricket and the different forms of the game, players are in danger of playing too much, particularly when a lot of them want to play three forms of the game, adding that players don`t understand it at the time, as all they want to do is play. Hadlee added players don`t want to lose part of their income, but if a player is out of the game for six months injured then he can lose a lot of income as well. Australia`s decision to rotate players through the Test and 50-over formats has been damned by a string of former players this summer, including Brett Lee, Michael Slater, Geoff Lawson and Ian Chappell. Hadlee said it is a tricky balance because if a player misses a game or two then he can lose rhythm and form, adding that countries have to prioritize how they get the best out of a player without compromising the other forms of income. Hadlee further added that player management is a crucial part of the game these days and it is a big judgment call from people in charge. ANI