‘International cricket doesn’t have a monopoly on players’ time’ – Pat Cummins bold statement ahead of WTC Finals against India
Pat Cummins (Source: Twitter)
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, just before the World Test Championship (WTC) Final begins, Australian captain Pat Cummins claimed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has destroyed the monopoly of international cricket on players’ time. Cummins said that it will be difficult to convince players in the future to choose national service over franchise cricket.
“International cricket doesn’t have a monopoly on players’ time like it did in the past. The IPL changed that a decade ago, but there’s just going to be more and more content that creeps in, so I think we’ve got to be proactive about that,” Cummins was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the World Test Championship Final against India at The Oval starting June 7.
Cummins said that Trent Boult’s choice to turn down a rich T20 league deal for a New Zealand centre player had been anticipated ever since the IPL altered the nature of the game a decade ago. “It’s been coming for a while, but I think it is here now,” the Australian skipper stated. However, Cummins acknowledged that in these days of highly profitable franchise-based leagues, urging his teammates to choose national service over every other factor would be tough.
We still want the best players winning World Cups for us, winning big series: Pat Cummins
“We have to keep making playing for Australia as special as we can, keeping a high performance to get every single player wanting to play for Australia as much as we can. That’s going to be the challenge. I think it’s upon us now, and we’ve got to start thinking about that quite deeply. I think fast-forward a few years time, a 12-month international calendar might look a little bit different,” the right-arm seamer asserted.
According to Cummins, cricket is moving in the direction of football, and eventually, national teams will require permission from franchises before they can represent their nation.
“When you’re talking about some of the opportunities that may be provided through the franchises, I don’t think you can blame players that might take that option. I see the day where that (a franchise release) happens. I think it’s reality. You’ve seen it in other sports. So again, we’ve got to keep selling why playing for Australia is so special. And making sure there is some flexibility to try and get the best out of these guys,” the 30-year-old opined.
“We still want the best players winning World Cups for us, winning big series. But obviously, there’s more competing interests than there were in the past. That’s why things are starting to quicken up, and it’s moving towards a more world football model, where you play for your club, employed by your club, and you get released to play for your country,” the pace spearhead concluded.
