The recent introduction of the money spinning Twenty20 Indian leagues has seen a number of players’ heads turn towards the subcontinent. Mouths watering and dollar signs in their eyes they seem to have forgotten what it means to represent their country.
The same, thankfully, cannot be said about some of the top English players who have recently come out in the media saying that they have no need to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Cricket League (ICL) as they are already adequately taken care of by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). What this shows is that if a board takes care of its top players financially (and in other ways) then the players would in return repay their faith.
Maybe it’s something the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can look into since in the past and also more recently, its handing out of contracts has upset some of its top players. Recently, Danish Kaneria spoke out after being dropped from B to C in the PCB’s central contracts categories which are apparently based on performance. The PCBs argument was that Kaneria does not play both forms of the game so cannot be considered in the top two tiers. Kaneria’s argument, which seems valid, is that he’s long had aspirations to play in the one day side along with the test side but has never been given a reasonable opportunity. Differences such as these can tip a player to think of their livelihood and opt for opportunities that the Indian leagues provide.
There is no doubt that the IPL and ICL look very attractive but would they be worth sacrificing the bread and butter of our game for? In my opinion, only players on the brink of retirement or those languishing in the domestic leagues should consider playing in the Indian leagues. When you have players like Shane Bond jeopardising their international career to play in the leagues, it makes you wonder whether the cricketing boards are taking adequate care of the future of their top stars.
Boards have shown concern over the participation of their players in the leagues as there have long been worries about the packed international schedule and player fatigue. There are also incompatibly issues in regards to how the two tournaments would fit in to the current international calendar. Though the boards are right to show concern over the leagues, what have they actually done about it?
Maybe we need more current international players to give out the same kind of message as the English players or maybe we need more boards to have a good look at what they offer their players. Well done to the English players; well done to the ECB.
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February 21st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Yes, we must give credit to the English players and the ECB. It’s obvious that their pay structure and set up is keeping their players happy. The introduction of the respective Indian leagues will no doubt see alot more players sem-retire alot sooner. Gone will be the days where players will be playing in their late 30′s. Why slog it it out (excuse the pun!) when you can play a few months a year for money which will normally take you at least two years to earn? Its a shame but the money in international cricket is obviously not being made so players will be attracted to the Indian leagues.