England Test head coach Brendon McCullum believes international boards including the ECB would be “completely naive” to assume that their stars would turn down long-term franchise contracts.
Recent reports have suggested that IPL teams are in talks with several English cricketers to sign annual deals. Given their investments in other tournaments like the CPL, SA20, ILT20, Abu Dhabi T10 and the upcoming Major League Cricket in the United States, the franchise owners are working towards a situation where they can hold on to their most valuable asset for more than three months Increase control of of the year.
As of this writing, it is understood that no formal offers have been made to the English players. However, Test nations such as South Africa and the West Indies have long been at the mercy of franchise competitions to control the movement of their own players, and it seems only a matter of time before the likes of Australia and England follow suit. same reality.
Speaking to SENZ Radio in New Zealand, McCullum echoed those sentiments, urging professional empathy in a rapidly changing landscape.
“Over the years, there has been a bit of a shifting of the sand around international cricket,” McCullum said.
“We would be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge amounts of money on long-term contracts for very little work in these T20 leagues as they should be playing international cricket. Those days are going to end fast It definitely is a changing landscape and you just have to be fluid.
“What you have to do is you have to work with these players, you have to work with these leagues and try and allow, ideally, the players to have their cake and eat it too because you want your best players. want to play.”
The ECB’s more open approach when it comes to the IPL reflects the fact that it sees no benefit in maintaining England’s initial hostility to the competition. A record 17 Englishmen have been signed for this year’s editionMost notably Test captain Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Harry Brook, who all signed seven-figure deals.
Brook, who has taken Test cricket by storm, is currently on an incremental contract with the ECB, earning around £60,000 (US$75,000) for representing England. His £1.3 million (US$1.6 million) deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad speaks of the disparity. While this has to be rectified in the next round of central contract handouts at the end of the summer, it is unlikely to exceed the attractive figures of his debut IPL season, especially given Brook’s role as a multi-format batsman . ,
McCullum, however, does not anticipate a situation where he will not be able to call upon his best Test players in the near future. In fact, he believes that a simpler solution could be to make international cricket a more enjoyable and meaningful experience as opposed to taking a harsher stance on those wanting to join franchise cricket.
“How much fun they’ve had, the experience they’ve been able to get in an England shirt, it’s so great that they’re ready to continue their yard [in] Even if it is not as financially viable as some of the other leagues,” McCullum said.
“I think we’re a bit lucky too, because the amount of money we can pay players is better than some of the other boards around the world. It’s not enough to say ‘you know what, if They don’t want to play international cricket for us, so bother them, we will move on and find someone else’.
“As a spectator, you want to see the best players in the world represent their countries.”
