Khawaja airs frustration at Shield schedule shift

Queensland captain Usman Khawaja has expressed his frustration at this week's change to the Marsh Sheffield Shield program that sees his team head home tomorrow before returning to Adelaide later in the month to resume their season.

The Bulls stormed to a dramatic innings and 59-run win over Tasmania at Gladys Elphick Park in Adelaide today and, under the original Shield fixture released last month, should be preparing for their round two clash against Western Australia starting at the same venue next Monday.

However, the adjustment to the schedule announced by CA yesterday due to concerns about Victoria's capacity to prepare (having been subject to extended COVID-19 lockdown) means Queensland have a bye and will return to Brisbane tomorrow rather than remain in their Adelaide hotel.

Khawaja said that while he understood the additional challenges people in Victoria had to face due to their state's strict pandemic response, he believed the work done to ensure the Shield competition was up and running should see as many games completed early in the summer as is possible.

"It's a little bit frustrating because we're ready to play, we want to play cricket and I think if anything it's probably not the right time to be choosy about when we can't play," he said this evening.

"We're trying to play as much as cricket as possible and if we've got the opportunity to play cricket then I think all states should be playing cricket, from my point of view.

"It's disappointing that we're not playing game two.

"To me it doesn't really make too much sense.

"I know Victoria's had it very hard but at the same time I think everyone is just keen to play cricket because we just don't know what's going to happen after Big Bash (League expected to be played form December to February) and we don't know how many games we're going to play.

"That's out of our control, so we'll just wait and see."

Khawaja stressed he and his team were grateful to be able to play cricket given the huge logistical and scheduling issues created by the coronavirus that has impacted all elements of the game, from team travel arrangements to players' ability to shine the ball.

However, given the nature of their first-up win over Tasmania – achieved in the final hour of the last day due to spin twins Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne – and the momentum the team derived, the lack of a follow-up game was a source of frustration.

"We're lucky that we're playing cricket so we're not going to be complaining too much about anything," he said.

"South Australia and the (SA Cricket) Association have done really well to get us here on the two grounds next to each other, the facilities are great, the food's been great and they've taken care of us really well.

"I probably just wish we had four games coming up."

Both he and Tasmania opener Alex Doolan noted post-game that the biggest shift under the COVID-19 protocols – which has meant all six teams have gathered in Adelaide with matches being played in a confined precinct – was keeping shine on the ball.

Health regulations dictate players are not allowed to take sweat from their head or arms, or use saliva to impart sheen although sweat from backs and stomachs is permitted as a polishing aid.

The first round of matches in Adelaide was played in warm, sunny conditions but the next games – SA v Tasmania and Western Australia v New South Wales starting next Monday – are likely to experience cooler weather which might make perspiration even tougher to come by.

"Not being able to shine the ball was probably the newest thing and it was probably really the only change," Doolan said at conclusion of the first Shield match completed under COVID19 protocols.

"I didn't (shine it), we left that to a couple of others but it's really just using sweat off the back and just shining it normally.

"You can still use a bit of moisture from your back, and it still worked – the ball swung, so it's not too different."

Tasmania likely had the most reason to trial the new polishing regime, given they sent down more than 156 overs in Queensland's only innings with just a handful of those being spin from allrounder Beau Webster.

Khawaja also noted the change to the shining regulations was the toughest to negotiate because using forehead sweat and saliva had been the practice of a playing lifetime for most bowlers and fielders.

"There's a few things that are hard for us to get past but we're working at them, things like shining the ball and making sure that we're keeping all saliva off it, using back sweat," he said of the new regulations.

"We can only use back and stomach sweat so we're just trying to use that, but as we can get sweat from there it's fine."