The Australia opening batsman Chris Rogers is waiting to hear whether his hopes of rejoining Middlesex next season have been damaged by his involvement in the unsanctioned resale of tickets for the Lord’s Test starting on 16 July, an enterprise for which he has apologised despite insisting he had been open with the club from the outset.
At a time when England’s new coach, Trevor Bayliss, spoke before his arrival in the country on Thursday – and the fast bowler Jimmy Anderson called for the Ashes series to be played in a good spirits – it was Rogers who faced the toughest questioning after it emerged he and his former Middlesex team-mate Tom Scollay were offering hospitality packages priced at up to £2,910 for the second Test.
Middlesex, who are tenants of MCC, have since told Rogers, 37, and his business partner at Inside Edge Experience they do not have permission to act in this capacity and have cancelled their ticket allocation. Rogers, who has avoided punishment by Cricket Australia, has a verbal agreement to return to the club he has previously captained for a fifth season in 2016 after he retires from international cricket at the end of the Ashes series.
“There was no intent to deceive,” Rogers said on Wednesday before Australia’s four-day warm-up match with Kent in Canterbury starting on Thursday. “We tried to do the right thing and apologies if it’s come out badly. The tickets have been refunded and no money has been exchanged with Middlesex. I look back at it a little bit disappointed how a few things have turned out – I thought I was open and honest with everything I did.”
Asked if he was naive, Rogers replied: “That word has come up but everyone I spoke to – and I spoke to everyone – did not suggest to do it any other way. I was supposed to go through the England and Wales Cricket Board but I went through Middlesex, who are the people I know, so I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. From the very early emails I told them what I was doing and they suggested this was the way to go about it.”
The cricket management at Middlesex do not see the issue preventing Rogers playing for them and will discuss his return after the Ashes. But senior club officials may yet disagree, with Rogers stating he had lined up two of their players – England’s Steven Finn and Sam Robson – to make guest appearances as part of the proposed hospitality packages. After missing two Tests in the West Indies earlier this month through concussion, Rogers admitted his final winter on tour with Australia is not going to plan.
“Middlesex have been amazing to me and I have nothing but respect for the people in that organisation so hopefully I can continue that relationship,” he added. “The business was something I was hoping to be able to develop after I finished playing. It’s been a distraction but the cricket starts tomorrow and I can’t wait to get out there – the concussion and now this, it’s not how I saw my last tour.”
Rogers’ error of judgment may provide England with some verbal ammunition when the first Test gets under way in Cardiff on 8 July, even if Anderson – a player never far from the centre of such on-field hostilities – claims his side want the series to be played in the same good-natured fashion as their fixtures with New Zealand have been.
“That was a really positive series and the nature of both sides’ cricket was helped by the spirit the game was played in,” Anderson told Sky Sports News. “Needle is something I thought I thrived on or needed in the past. But having played in the last few months, I think it’s important we get the balance right of playing in the right spirit but also having that competitive edge to win a game of cricket for your country.”
Anderson will meet Bayliss for the first time this weekend as part of a 14-man England party travelling to Spain for an Ashes training camp. Speaking to Fox Sports at Sydney airport, before his flight to London, Bayliss said: “I’ll get to know the players, number one ... apart from that, a little bit of planning before the Ashes.
“It’ll be some good fun, I think. I’ll be just doing things the way I normally do with any of the cricket teams I’ve been involved in and hopefully that means England playing some good cricket. I’m confident of putting up a good show and, if they play some good cricket, there’ll be a chance of winning.”
Australian XI to face Kent Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Fawad Ahmed.
