The ICC News Thread

[Mr Miyagi]

I think the issue for many professional sports fans, is that although we love the game, we love our teams just a little bit more. We don't lose our players from the game altogether when they sign with rival franchises, we lose them from our team. And that upsets us.

The issue isn't that we don't see many of our favourite players as elite, but that our favourite and elite teams may not be giving the elite salaries that rival franchises think these players are worth. But doesn't an elite player deserves an elite salary right? Now because cricket is only at best half a career, the playing career salary is not the only factor in a player's decision, their are post playing career considerations involved for many. But ultimately money does matter to a livlihood.

If international cricket could find a way to cap and equalise salaries like an sports salary cap, where franchise careers are only supplemental to the rich more elite pay levels of international, which are standardised in pay and opportunity, this would mitigate a lot of player unpopular movement, and the issue would be far less significant than it is.

So the question isn't on how to restrict players from leaving teams, but how to reward them fairly to get an elite pay for playing at an elite level in their favourite and preferred teams outside of financial reasons?

 

[cnerd123]

I think the issue for many professional sports fans, is that although we love the game, we love our teams just a little bit more. We don't lose our players from the game altogether when they sign with rival franchises, we lose them from our team. And that upsets us.

The issue isn't that we don't see many of our favourite players as elite, but that our favourite and elite teams may not be giving the elite salaries that rival franchises think these players are worth. But doesn't an elite player deserves an elite salary right? Now because cricket is only at best half a career, the playing career salary is not the only factor in a player's decision, their are post playing career considerations involved for many. But ultimately money does matter to a livlihood.

If international cricket could find a way to cap and equalise salaries like an sports salary cap, where franchise careers are only supplemental to the rich more elite pay levels of international, which are standardised in pay and opportunity, this would mitigate a lot of player unpopular movement, and the issue would be far less significant than it is.

So the question isn't on how to restrict players from leaving teams, but how to reward them fairly to get an elite pay for playing at an elite level in their favourite and preferred teams outside of financial reasons?

The solution is simple

Franchised cricket becomes the pinnacle of the game.

The IPL will now go on for 7-9 months a year, and will have T20s, ODs and Tests. International games become a novelty on the side. Franchise leagues in other parts of the world, like England/Australia/New Zealand, ultimately become feeder leagues to the IPL. Maybe the IPL Franchises buy/invest into franchises into those leagues and use them as a development platform for their main IPL team.

The IPL will go on to increase the number of teams, and thus the overseas quota for each team. It will enforce a salary cap, it will ensure players are protected when it comes to their contracts with the franchises, and basically the BCCI rules world cricket the way it wants to with every other nation's cricket board existing merely to serve it.

It's going to happen.

 

[GotSpin]

^ Mr. Miyagi gets it.

I completely get all these points. I’m just trying to point out a reality. If these boards can’t find a way to retain their best players, cricket will ultimately struggle in those respective nations.

Cricket has a long bridge to gap between international and franchise cricket. It won’t happen because no one gives a **** about the IPL outside of India. And I strongly doubt you’ll have Australians all cheering for an Indian franchise etc

 

[Flem274*]

indian expats here are always shocked to find not a single **** is given about the ipl in nz. you'll get media coverage if a kiwi does something, but otherwise it's lights out on cricket until the next black caps game.

the ipl doesn't need an international audience to sustain itself of course (well i should say non-indian since expats still stay up to watch), but cricket will lose a lot of money if they don't have any mccullums or starc's to compete against and alongside indias best.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

indian expats here are always shocked to find not a single **** is given about the ipl in nz. you'll get media coverage if a kiwi does something, but otherwise it's lights out on cricket until the next black caps game.

Depends on the Kiwi, Ish Sodhi did well one game, and I looked everywhere for media coverage, nothing. KW sneezes a 50 in a losing cause, and its cricket headlines.

Ish does well in a few games, finally gets a story.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

I completely get all these points. I’m just trying to point out a reality. If these boards can’t find a way to retain their best players, cricket will ultimately struggle in those respective nations.

Cricket has a long bridge to gap between international and franchise cricket. It won’t happen because no one gives a **** about the IPL outside of India. And I strongly doubt you’ll have Australians all cheering for an Indian franchise etc

I'm short sighted and a lil tipsy, but I first read it as "cheating for an Indian franchise".

But as you wrote it, I agree.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

The solution is simple

Franchised cricket becomes the pinnacle of the game.

The IPL will now go on for 7-9 months a year, and will have T20s, ODs and Tests. International games become a novelty on the side. Franchise leagues in other parts of the world, like England/Australia/New Zealand, ultimately become feeder leagues to the IPL. Maybe the IPL Franchises buy/invest into franchises into those leagues and use them as a development platform for their main IPL team.

The IPL will go on to increase the number of teams, and thus the overseas quota for each team. It will enforce a salary cap, it will ensure players are protected when it comes to their contracts with the franchises, and basically the BCCI rules world cricket the way it wants to with every other nation's cricket board existing merely to serve it.

It's going to happen.

Maybe. But international sports is important to Indian sports fans. And lets face it, they don't exactly have rowing, sailing, rugby, football, or the Olympics (summer or winter) to turn to like many of the existing ICC nations or mostly sole sport countries like the USA do.

India has less Olympics gold in their entire history than Aus probably won in Sydney and only one more than NZ won in 1984 in LA and probably never qualified for a soccer world cup unlike SA, NZ, Aus, Eng WI components, Ireland and whoever else within the ICC; I know they don't basketball, row, sail or rugby well. So its pretty dire for meaningful international sports for them.

Kabbaddi will never rival cricket in India because it really lacks an international flavour.

I think the solution if the status quo cannot sort it, is to the give the ICC to the BCCI and say - hey if you want international cricket at a meaningful level, you be in charge.

Cos Aussies have league and AFL, poms have football and rugby, NZ has watersports, league and rugby, WI has athlectics and football, SA has football and rugby - so whatchu gonna do India?

Turn cricket into the internationa equivalent of Kabbaddi? That will kiill the fan base in no time

International sports generates more domestic interest. Fact.

(except for AFL and its Gaelic football cousin - but they're Australian and Irish, they're different)

 

[Flem274*]

looking back through the thread, *****'s idea that national boards should suck up investing resources into players who then go mercenary is naive. NZC aren't going to shell out cash to get shane bond coaching trent boult only for trent boult to say 'lel off to india forever bye'.

there are two logical conclusions in the dystopian mercenary future - the boards spit the dummy and say **** ya, you want our players, develop them yourself. you spend the money.

or they'll get all domestic cricketers to sign contracts that basically state if you want access to national resources you gotta commit to working for us, not someone else, and that is a completely fair take imo.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

looking back through the thread, *****'s idea that national boards should suck up investing resources into players who then go mercenary is naive. NZC aren't going to shell out cash to get shane bond coaching trent boult only for trent boult to say 'lel off to india forever bye'.

No ***** is right. To stop Trent Boult doing this, they stopped paying Bond, made Boult #2 on the contract list, and gave NZC an IPL window for him to go earn his IPL rupees. Smart NZC - bar I woulda kept Bond if I could budget it.

there are two logical conclusions in the dystopian mercenary future - the boards spit the dummy and say **** ya, you want our players, develop them yourself. you spend the money.

or they'll get all domestic cricketers to sign contracts that basically state if you want access to national resources you gotta commit to working for us, not someone else, and that is a completely fair take imo.

The second is basically legally impossible, which is why I favour the former as a solution. If current ICC members cannot sort it - give BCCI the ICC, and say hey - if you want international cricket you need to provide for internationals.

 

[cnerd123]

Yea sign adult cricketers to exclusive contracts that's fine, but don't be surprised if they decide not to accept it

I don't know how much of the BCCIs revenue relies on international cricket or having world class players from other nations in the IPL. I guess that's the crux of it. Push come to shove, will the BCCI be able to survive without the rest of the world or not? That will determine the policies that take place.

I feel the current BCCI administration believes they can do without world cricket. But what the **** do I know.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

The problem withcommercial and real politk mentality of the BCCI at the ICC is unlike the market where businesses subject to Anti-Trust strive to be monopolies reasonably, international sport needs an opposition.

Athlai and many more members get this fallacy of BCCI thinking.

Self interest hegemony (politics) or monopoly (business) thinking doesn't match sports thinking where people want competition, and the more competitors and a good skill level, the better.

It is why rugby has doesn't shrink Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England into one Rugby team at the World Cup.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Yea sign adult cricketers to exclusive contracts that's fine, but don't be surprised if they decide not to accept it

I don't know how much of the BCCIs revenue relies on international cricket or having world class players from other nations in the IPL. I guess that's the crux of it. Push come to shove, will the BCCI be able to survive without the rest of the world or not? That will determine the policies that take place.

I feel the current BCCI administration believes they can do without world cricket. But what the **** do I know.

You're onto something that I raised earlier in a different thread. Don't back down.

Stand strong. Everything you have said so far has been on point.

Follow your intuition and reason.

You got to Hong Kong from Bangladesh on your smarts. You are smart. Don't doubt yourself.

 

[GotSpin]

Yea sign adult cricketers to exclusive contracts that's fine, but don't be surprised if they decide not to accept it

I don't know how much of the BCCIs revenue relies on international cricket or having world class players from other nations in the IPL. I guess that's the crux of it. Push come to shove, will the BCCI be able to survive without the rest of the world or not? That will determine the policies that take place.

I feel the current BCCI administration believes they can do without world cricket. But what the **** do I know.

If the BCCI really thinks it can survive by itself then they’re stupider than they look

 

[Mr Miyagi]

If the BCCI really thinks it can survive by itself then they’re stupider than they look

It is a bit more nuanced than that. They can survive like Kabbaddi survives. But will they be as big or will cricket be as popular in India?

***** is onto this. Give him time and he will articulate it.

I am sure he can reason the dilemma and articulate it.

 

[cnerd123]

If the BCCI really thinks it can survive by itself then they’re stupider than they look

Well I mean basically the BCCI will fund an India team, and then fund and develop teams for that India team to play (and beat)

The ultimate marriage of Bollywood and Cricket - the BCCI does the casting, production, heck maybe even they film the games ahead of time and only release the action that they feel fits whatever narrative the paying public wants to see. Cricketainment at its finest. A test match played out and filmed on front of a live studio audience, but doled out in 30 minute segments over the course of a month, like a riveting Indian Soap Opera, with ad breaks and promotions galore.

That's probably the future of cricket if the BCCI has its way tbh

 

[Flem274*]

You can't play the IPL if nobody knows who you are. If the 'IPL 9 months a year' ever came to pass then national boards would need to become more aggressive for their own survival.

 

[cnerd123]

Think about it - cast a bunch of nasty looking Aussies who cut a mean promo and put your local hero's against them in an epic clash for the ages

They fall behind in the first innings, and then it cuts to a behind the scenes segment where the inspirational captain gives a pep talk to his struggling team, which then sparks a revival in the second innings, leading to a fiery final day runchase against the cheating, sledging Aussies trying every dirty trick in the book to bring them down

Don't tell me you won't be watching.

 

[Flem274*]

Think about it - cast a bunch of nasty looking Aussies who cut a mean promo and put your local hero's against them in an epic clash for the ages

They fall behind in the first innings, and then it cuts to a behind the scenes segment where the inspirational captain gives a pep talk to his struggling team, which then sparks a revival in the second innings, leading to a fiery final day runchase against the cheating, sledging Aussies trying every dirty trick in the book to bring them down

Don't tell me you won't be watching.

figures the only place india can win overseas is in a bollywood flick

 

[Borges]

International sports generates more domestic interest. Fact.

The corollary that international sports is a prerequisite for a great deal of domestic interest is not necessarily true.
Major League Baseball and their "World Series" have been going strong for more than a hundred years.

Jingoistic nationalism, of the kind found among a lot of Indian and Australian cricket fans, reaches its pinnacle when the rest of the world becomes irrelevant.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

figures the only place india can win overseas is in a bollywood flick

ooooh sick burn