EXLCUSIVE- Legends concede that it’s the age of the ‘professional’ cricketers
Thursday, May 14, 2009
'Cannot stop the players'
Mumbai: Chris Gayle, the quintessential modern day cricketer, has stirred it up. The West Indies skipper’s lack of apprehension about Tests dying a slow death, owing to the invasion of Twenty20 leagues, is enough reason to send down jitters to the traditionalists
The situation got out of hand when West Indies lost inside three days to England in the first Test of their two-match series. The opposition skipper started raising question marks over Gayle’s delayed arrival in the country, Clive Lloyd began voicing concerns about the players’ choices and others began questioning Gayle’s commitment to the country.
Chris Gayle’s remarks are solely his personal view and there isn’t a great deal that the International Cricket Council (ICC) can do about it. Mr. Gayle is contracted to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). It’s up to the WICB to take any action, if needed.
Players have opted out of tours for as long as cricket has been played. Hence it is not a shocker if Mr. Gayle was contemplating pulling out of the ongoing Test series against England. There are personal problems that players face and we have to respect that.
The ICC has set up a Test cricket’s working body that meets each and every month to churn out new ideas to make Test cricket a more exciting format. As you know the ICC Cricket Committee discussed in detail a possibility of day / night Test matches.
We are trying our level best to market Test cricket more attractive and we are proud that we have three formats to boast about, not something other sports have in their possession. We have to strike the right balance between the three formats.
All the good work put in by ICC's Cricket Committee will be showcased over the next few months with the ICC World Twenty20, Ashes Test series and Champions Trophy to follow.
The ‘Cool Dude’ made a clean breast in an interview to Guardian on Wednesday. Not only did he call Strauss ‘incapable’ of making a name in the IPL, he said quitting Test cricket is not too hard for him at this stage of his carer. This insurgency has just begun.
How do you bridge the gap between this thought process? How does a cricket board handle rebellious players like Bravo and Gayle? These issues are bound to crop up in the coming years, so what can the ICC do to stop this catch-22? Is there anything it can do?
“The players must be free to do what they want to. Gayle knows that’s (IPL) is where he is going to make all off his money. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has struggled to pay its players. I am not saying choose IPL over country but it’s true that cricketers are like professionals and commodities now who should be allowed to do what they want,” former England batsman Allan Lamb, who refused to blame IPL for West Indies’ loss in the first Test to England, told cricketnirvana.com in an exclusive chat.
Pakistan batting legend, ‘the Asian Bradman’ Zaheer Abbas, who played World Series Cricket (WSC) under the leadership of Kerry Packer, feels every cricketer is entitled to make his own choices. He refuses to blame the players who ditched Pakistan for the ICL.
“Every player has his own right and since the money is so much in IPL, anybody would love to play in it,” Abbas told cricketnirvana.com. However, he condemned Gayle’s remarks. “Mr. Gayle gave a wrong statement. As a captain, he shouldn’t be saying such things. I can understand where he is coming from since I played for Kerry Packer in the late 70s. He has set a wrong precedent and must have lost respect in England”
Sri Lanka were originally due to tour England at this time of the year but their players were so hell bent on playing IPL that they made an appeal to the President and quite predictably, got their wishes granted. The flat broke WICB was gladly willing to proxy.
“This is a matter that is resolved now. Sri Lankans will always choose country over IPL. However the SLC and the BCCI are working towards a formula to ensure that players are not restricted from going ahead and playing IPL,” former Sri Lanka captain and CEO of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) Duleep Mendis told cricketnirvana.com
Mendis says the players are matured enough and know the sentiments that are involved in representing Sri Lanka at the international level. “We don’t need to regulate what they do or say. They are matured cricketers and don’t look at IPL as a money-making option but want to participate in it to be a part of a competitive cricket event, that’s all.”
However former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga wanted his players to boycott IPL.
"I take it that the (Sri Lankan) players would be prepared to heed the call to perform for their country in preference to the IPL. At the most, the players concerned would miss a part of the IPL series on account of the tour of England," Ranatunga said in his letter to the top players during his stint as SLC chief last year.
Ranatunga’s cry wasn’t enough to prevent Sri Lanka abandoning the tour.
“The boards have got to get together and support the players here. There needs to be more communication. We cannot have a situation where the players feel cut off and go ahead and make their choices. There has got to be a compromise formula,” Lamb feels.
 © AFP |
“As a kid, you just want to play cricket because you love the game. Playing for India, Bengal or Yorkshire is not the first thing you think about. It’s just a game of cricket,” former India batsman Dinesh Mongia, who plays for the rebel ICL, told cricketnirvana.com
“I always wanted to play for India but playing the game of cricket is most important. It doesn’t help when you are not allowed to live your dream.”
