Cricket Australia’s busy schedule in early-2025 means some of the country’s biggest stars won’t be in attendance at the game’s major awards night.

It’s the Australian cricket night of nights, where both the Allan Border Medal and Belinda Clark Medal are awarded in front of the nation’s best male and female players.

But next year, the awards night will clash with the men’s Test series against Sri Lanka.

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The ceremony is scheduled on Monday February 3 at Crown Palladium in Melbourne, but will likely not feature some of the game’s biggest stars.

The event will take place at the end of the first Test in Sri Lanka, meaning none of those players will make it back in time, considering the second Test starts just days later.

Some of those big names who won’t be there include Steve Smith, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc, who are all expected to be in the squad.

Test skipper Pat Cummins will also likely be absent, as he and his wife expect the arrival of their second child at the end of January or start of February.

CA head of events Joel Morrison admitted that there wasn’t much they could do, due to the growth of cricket and extension of playing schedules beyond the summer months.

“The difference this time will be the fact that the men’s Test team will be over in Sri Lanka,” Morrison told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“That’s really a reflection of the evolution of the global game and the increasing playing opportunities overseas while the awards are on.”

The Sri Lanka Test dates were pushed forward due to the 50-over Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to take place in Pakistan later in February.

And alternative date to hold the awards would have been after the last Test of the Australia and India series, in early January.

But Morrison admitted that now time slot could be found to appease everyone, due to Sheffield Shield and BBL commitments.

“This is the first time where we literally haven’t been able to find a window where all players can be in the one location at the one time, without conflicting with a BBL game and still holding it in the thick of the cricket season, as opposed to at the end of the season for club and state cricket in March,” he said.

“It’s the first time we haven’t been able to have the men’s Test team there, but we’ll have our Australian women’s team, WBBL and BBL players, and men’s white-ball players.”