Even as the international teams get ready to feature in the ICC World T20 from the 5th of June, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), Tim May, has warned that a lot of cricketers have stated in conducted surveys that they feel lesser affiliations to their country with the arrival of the big-bucks leagues like the IPL.
Even as the international teams get ready to feature in the ICC World T20 from the 5th of June, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), Tim May, has warned that a lot of cricketers have stated in conducted surveys that they feel lesser affiliations to their country with the arrival of the big-bucks leagues like the IPL.
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May, a former Australian off-spinner, has also said that the ICC must rework the Future Tours Programme after it expires in 2012 so that a window can be created for the Indian Premier League. He said, if this is not done, the players may have to soon choose between playing for their country or representing the franchise, and the latter may win the battle hands down. May made a pertinent point when he said, “The trend that we observe, through our surveys of players, is that more and more players state that they have less an attachment to international cricket with the emergence of competitions such as IPL.”
He also said, “Simply, something must give or players will be faced to make a decision between representing their country and playing in franchise-type Twenty20 events.”
It has already been said that apart from the IPL, there are many more such T20 leagues that have been planned across the world, and this includes the Champions League, P20 in England, a Southern Premier League between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and a reasonable probability of a second edition of the IPL in a foreign country. This could mean that the same pool of players could end up playing around the world, and more importantly, around the clock thus ensuring a lot of time away from the families and friends.
These tournaments will have to be accommodated along with the ODIs and test matches, not to forget the huge ICC events like the World Cups, World T20s and the Champions Trophy.
