WTC Final: Is Australia's decision not to play a warm-up tie 'fraught with danger'? Allan Border questions

Questioning Australia's decision to not play any warm-up games ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against India and the Ashes series, former captain Allan Border said the move is "fraught with danger". The WTC Final will be held at The Oval in London from June 7-11, following which Australia will take on arch-rival England in the five-match Ashes from June 16 to July 31.

The Australian team will prepare for the six Tests by undergoing a high-intensity training camp in Beckenham, featuring centre-wicket practice and net sessions. "I don't care how hard you work in the nets. Nothing replaces game time. It doesn't feel right not to play cricket leading into an Ashes series. I think that's fraught with danger. Something is gnawing at me, saying it's the wrong decision," Border told 'Fox Cricket'.

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The Indian team won't play any warm-up game as the English County Championship is on. And, also the WTC being an International Cricket Council (ICC) event, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is not obliged to arrange practice matches for the visiting teams. However, it will be the first time in Ashes history that the men from 'Down Under' won't face any local county sides before or during this winter's tour of England.

Before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India earlier this year, Australia had opted for simulation training instead of playing warm-up games. The visitors ended up losing the fixture 1-2. "I'm surprised we're just allowing the Ashes tour to be so condensed with no cricket between the games, but that's how it is. I get it. We've got IPLs and T20s, I understand. The game's moved on. But, I think there's an opportunity for us to go to England early and play a couple of games to polish things off a bit," Border added.

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The ECB has crammed the Ashes into a six-week window to ensure England's Test players are available for The Hundred tournament, which will begin in early August. While Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Harris have been playing in the County Championship, those players in India will head to England after wrapping up their IPL stints. The other Australia Test squad members have recently completed a three-day training camp in Brisbane and will go to England later this week.

(With inputs from PTI)