Bravo and Pollard turn down West Indies contracts

Evidently because it could get in the way of them playing T20. Not good, and I bet they wont be the only ones in the next year or so.

http://www.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/current/story/478374.html

Sad state of affairs for world cricket

Yep it's very sad, but you have to be realistic.

Who is going to accept a contract of $80,000 US when they can earn that for 1 weeks work in the IPL? Especially when the central contract would give the WICB (an extremely vindictive and volatile organisation) the right to stop you from earning any more $$$$$'s in the IPL.

I can see other players from the poorer nations turning down central contracts in the future. Guys from the West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh will be reluctant to sign and restrict themselves if they feel they can make a sh!t load playing T20.

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's highest paid cricketer, was on the verge of turning down a New Zealand contract a couple of years ago before a last minute change of heart.

WIFAN wrote:Yep it's very sad, but you have to be realistic.

Who is going to accept a contract of $80,000 US when they can earn that for 1 weeks work in the IPL? Especially when the central contract would give the WICB (an extremely vindictive and volatile organisation) the right to stop you from earning any more $$$$$'s in the IPL.

You'd hope this leads to change in the WICB.

I can see cricket moving along the path of tennis as that sport & its players embraced hard core professionalism. Players go off and make their money but keep small windows open to play for their country in the Davis Cup.

Players go off and make their money but keep small windows open to play for their country in the Davis Cup

You'd hope the windows were a bit bigger than the tennis windows

Well as per usual the ICC is partly to blame. All they need to do is create a window for the IPL and we wouldn't have this problem.

when was the last time the ICC made a sensible decision?

G.Wood wrote:

Players go off and make their money but keep small windows open to play for their country in the Davis Cup

You'd hope the windows were a bit bigger than the tennis windows

aye, you'd hope, but the money will win out.

An older friend of mine was in the Davis Cup squad (he never played a match) back in the shamatuer days. The national tennis body completely controlled his life. He was paid the equivalent of a secondary teacher's salary. The money won out in tennis. The same will happen in our game.

Henry wrote:I can see other players from the poorer nations turning down central contracts in the future. Guys from the West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh will be reluctant to sign and restrict themselves if they feel they can make a sh!t load playing T20.

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's highest paid cricketer, was on the verge of turning down a New Zealand contract a couple of years ago before a last minute change of heart.

But are those lesser nation players going to be picked in IPL etc if they don't have the platform of tests and JAMODIs in which to show their wares?

Gayle has turned his contract offer down as well. I reckon he will be selected for the tour of Sri Lanka but I'm pretty damn sure that is the end of his reign as captain

Sarwan must be laughing his ass off.

That sucks!

Why would some one like Pollard want to do that? he is barely known outside the IPL/CL circut!

WIFAN wrote:Yep it's very sad, but you have to be realistic.

Who is going to accept a contract of $80,000 US when they can earn that for 1 weeks work in the IPL? Especially when the central contract would give the WICB (an extremely vindictive and volatile organisation) the right to stop you from earning any more $$$$$'s in the IPL.

thats bullsheet excuse wiffy!

80 K is just the "base" price plus they were going to play IPL anyways.

PlanetPakistan wrote:

WIFAN wrote:Yep it's very sad, but you have to be realistic.

Who is going to accept a contract of $80,000 US when they can earn that for 1 weeks work in the IPL? Especially when the central contract would give the WICB (an extremely vindictive and volatile organisation) the right to stop you from earning any more $$$$$'s in the IPL.

thats bullsheet excuse wiffy!

80 K is just the "base" price plus they were going to play IPL anyways.

The WICB have a history of witholding the right of players to compete overseas and have put a rule in place whereby players who haven't taken part in the regional tournament are not eligible for selection, no matter how well they do in county cricket, Big Bash, IPL etc. This is a move designed to force Pollard et all to play at home even when IPL is on.

I would not trust the WICB at all if I was working for them.

WIFAN wrote:
The WICB have a history of witholding the right of players to compete overseas and have put a rule in place whereby players who haven't taken part in the regional tournament are not eligible for selection, no matter how well they do in county cricket, Big Bash, IPL etc. This is a move designed to force Pollard et all to play at home even when IPL is on.

CSA has also withheld the right of players to compete overseas if they are under a central contract.

I would very much doubt that any country would pick a player who does not play domestically, with the exception of maybe England.

I understand both sides of the equation in this one. In the case of Pollard he got overlooked for a central contract in the past for the likes of Floyd Reifer and does not trust the WICB. He makes tons money in the England, Australia and India playing 20/20. The selectors don't consider him a test player. So there is no reason to restrict himself by having a WICB contract and not make the money elsewhere. However, the WICB simply doesn't have the money to compete with 20/20, however I'm glad the picks for central contracts was not a complete joke as it was the first time around.