Opportunities galore, but cricketers caught in the crossfire
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Mumbai: It wasn’t just Dean Elgar, but Heinrich Klaasen too.
It wasn’t just Neil Wagner, but Trent Boult too.
Elgar and Wagner put a full-stop to their Test careers after running out of steam. But how much quality was taken off Test shelves with Klaasen and Boult’s career choices? Quinton de Kock before that. We aren’t even getting to the stream of cricketers from the Caribbean, now categorised as T20 freelancers.
Difficult choices they once were. Many cricket boards are now amenable to cricketers wanting flexible national contracts. Even England Test captain Ben Stokes has only committed to a one-year retainer for now. That may be, as Rob Key, ECB managing director said, to bargain for a higher valuation, next year. But cricket boards are now willing to sit over the discussion table with the players. As they know, a lot of them can’t offer the monetary rewards that the franchise world offers the players, for the time that international cricket demands.
“I don’t have the answers right now. Don’t think many people do,” Tim Southee, New Zealand Test captain replied when asked to crystal gaze. “I guess it’s for each individual board to work out for their players. In New Zealand Cricket, Kane (Williamson) and Devon (Conway) are still committed but have been given the flexibility, which is where the ‘casual playing contract’ comes in.”
The casual contract allows the two players to hop on to the franchise circuit for select leagues.
Red Ball Or Not
Phil Salt is England’s hard-hitting T20 smasher. At 27, he’s played in nine different franchise tournaments around the world. His opening partnership with Sunil Narine played a big part in Kolkata Knight Riders’ 2024 IPL success.
The right-hander has also scored six red-ball hundreds in the county Championship. With the style of cricket that England Test team plays under head coach Brendon McCullum’s watch, Salt’s name too could come up for discussion.
“I am not going to put a limit at this point. Everything is an option for me,” he said on the sidelines of the Ceat cricket awards. “I take the game on. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in. Maybe it will fit (Bazball). All I have to do is put performances on the table and hopefully someone will like them.”
Salt can talk up his Test prospects. But what if he was picked to be on a long Test tour over a high-paying T20 league with no guarantee of selection? Power-hitter Liam Livingstone played one Test match for England in 2022 in Rawalpindi before losing favour.
Playing on the franchise circuit demands commitment too. Leagues are looking to tighten contracts. In a recent exchange of ideas between IPL officials and team owners, many wanted overseas professionals to be penalised if they couldn’t commit to the entire tournament.
Salt’s was one such case in this year’s IPL. At KKR, he replaced country team-mate Jason Roy, who opted out for personal reasons. By the time KKR qualified for the playoffs, Salt had to withdraw for national duties, as England wanted him early for the T20 World Cup.
Salt had no say in the matter. KKR went on to lift IPL silverware. Was he disappointed? “If you put any work in a competition, especially IPL, you want to play every game,” Salt said. “That’s what’s in you as a professional sportsman. You want to play all the big games and be in high pressure moments. I was disappointed to have come so far and having to leave India with a job still to do.”
Question Of desire
Salt’s KKR captain Shreyas Iyer found himself trapped in a maze of controversy. Iyer’s cricket board BCCI isn’t accommodating as other cricket boards. The IPL win became the batting star’s moment of redemption after losing the national contract for missing domestic red-ball action.
“I love playing all formats. I have grown up playing Ranji trophy. That’s how I got in the Indian team. My priority is to play red-ball cricket first,” he now says.
Some hard truths. At 29, Iyer has clocked only 14 Tests at an average of 37. What would it take for him to get back in the Indian Test side?
Former Australian opener and commentator Matthew Hayden rewinds back to his playing days. When the burly left-hander was Iyer’s age, he had played only 7 Tests and was averaging 21. He went on to play in 103 and averaged over 50.
If Iyer wanted to be a serious contender for the year-ending Australia tour, it would require him to do some serious work on his backfoot game. That would demand time, effort and a strong desire.
“What is Shreyas’ heart saying? It’s a question for the current players to answer. They can’t be at three different places at the same time,” said Hayden.
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