Cricket Australia is yet to make a call on player availability for the Indian Premier League as it charts a path through a logistical logjam between the Twenty20 World Cup and Ashes.
The absence of any scheduling wriggle room was laid bare upon confirmation the T20 World Cup, now being staged in the UAE rather than India, will end on November 14.
Australia's one-off Test against Afghanistan in Hobart begins on November 27.
It has created a major conundrum for CA, which on Thursday elevated Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan to the role of assistant for Justin Langer's side.
The governing body would need to secure exemptions for quarantining multi-format superstars like Pat Cummins to play the Ashes tune-up in Hobart, which seems incredibly unlikely based on recent evidence.
T20 captain Aaron Finch shot down the idea that players, some of whom opted to sit out the current Caribbean tour, could skip the World Cup to ensure they have adequate red-ball preparation for the Ashes.
"It's a World Cup," Finch said.
"It's the one bit of silverware that's eluded us.
"There'll be no management for Test cricket."
Australia will play five T20s and three ODIs against West Indies before a five-match T20 series in Bangladesh.
The 'club versus country' debate is then set to resume alongside the IPL, which was halted earlier this year because of COVID-19.
The second phase of the IPL will be held in the UAE prior to the World Cup, giving participants a chance to acclimatise to local conditions in star-studded matches.
But it remains unclear whether Australians will be given the green light to take part, with team management now mapping out its final weeks before the World Cup.
"That (playing in both the IPL and World Cup before a home summer) might be really challenging," Finch said.
"Is that going to be too long (in a biosecurity bubble)?
"Guys are being burnt out really quickly.
"I know that's being discussed in the background."
Meanwhile, Vaughan's appointment comes after Graeme Hick was axed as batting coach as part of CA's cost cutting in 2020.
Vaughan has been Tim Paine's batting whisperer throughout his second coming as a Test player, while he has been Tasmania's Sheffield Shield coach since 2019-20.
CA has also installed Michael Di Venuto as batting coach on the current white-ball tour.
