'CA should employ guidelines over participation Big Bash'

Cricket NSW Chairman Dr Harry Harinath believes Cricket Australia needs to set guidelines regarding any restraint on Test players who would be competing for places in the Big Bash League franchises.

He says this will avoid the type of 'unnecessary drama' created by the forced withdrawal of Shane Watson from the Sydney Sixers' Champions League campaign in South Africa.

Watson, who was named player of the recent World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, was ordered home by CA to rest before next month's Test series against South Africa -- despite the Sixers being in contention to win the 2.5 million dollar Champion League's prize money.

While Harinath supported CA on this matter because of the 'bigger picture', he said it could have been ugly if the Sixers were owned by a private investor. Cricket NSW owns 50 percent of the Sixers and Thunder, Sydney's two Big Bash franchises.

'''We definitely need guidelines on this matter. Can you imagine what this could have been like if the franchise was owned by a private investor? They'd have been very upset because Watson might make the difference to the team not winning the series by not being there," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Harinath, as saying.

While Harinath understood Stuart Clark's frustration at CA's demand to send Watson home, he described the reason behind it as 'sound'.

''As chairman of CNSW, I support Cricket Australia on this even though I'm extremely sympathetic to Stuart [Clark]'s views. If the Australian cricket team doesn't win the series there are great implications, it hurts the game on a number of levels. It hurts the promotion of the team and it also affects commercial revenue as well," he said.

''I'm a board member of the Sixers and Cricket Australia and while I want the Sixers to win the Champions League, the Australian team has to come first," he added.