Cummins agrees that Trent Boult’s decision to deny the New Zealand centerfielder a contract in the lucrative T20 league worldwide has been ripe since the IPL changed the nature of the game a decade ago.

It’s been ripe for a long time, but I think it’s happening now, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cummins as saying ahead of the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval, which begins June 7.

International cricket does not have a monopoly on player time as it has in the past. The IPL changed that a decade ago, but there will be more and more content, so I think we need to be proactive on this issue. Cummins wants his teammates to consider national debt above all else, but says that will be difficult in these times when franchise-based leagues are rich with money.

We have to continue to make playing for Australia as special as we can, keep the results high so that every player wants to play for Australia as much as they can. That will be our challenge.

I think it’s coming, and we have to start thinking about it deeply enough. I think if you move forward a few years, the 12-month international calendar will look a little different, the tempo leader said.

Cummins believes that cricket is going the way of soccer and there will come a time when national teams will need permission from franchises to play for a country.

When you talk about some of the opportunities that may be available through franchises, I don’t think you can fault the players for taking advantage of that option, he said.

I can see the day when that (franchise waivers) will happen. I think it’s a reality. You’ve seen it in other sports. So, again, we have to keep explaining why playing for Australia is something special. And make sure there’s some flexibility to try to get the most out of these guys.

We still want the best players to win world championships for us, to win major series. But obviously there are more competing interests now than in the past.

That’s why things are starting to accelerate, and it’s moving toward a more global soccer model where you play for your club, you work for your club, and they let you play for your country.

Cammyns believes that the WTC gives the bilateral test series more context.

He said he’s looking forward to the first WTC final for Australia, and even more so against Team In.Dia, who got in on the action in the last edition as well.

First we have India in the World Test Championship final, which I think a lot of people have forgotten, Cummins said.

It feels like it’s going to be a little bit more the second time around. The first time, it felt like we missed an opportunity. So it certainly gives more context to each series now, something big to play for.

The big series, say the Ashes or the Indian series, where four or five test matches are played, are certainly big battles, whereas the more ordinary series, where two or three matches are played, this (World Test Championship) gives them a more global context and something extra to play for.