"Long long-term, I see a T20 franchise as owning players, and I don't see them releasing those players to play for their nation in a Test match," McCullum said.
I think this is the most controversial and thought provoking thing that he has said but I don't think anyone else touched on it yet. I don't think BMac meant own as in slavery terms, but lets look at dual National Board (FC or international annual) and part time T20 League contracted players.
The ramifications of this are massive, given most nations are now operating in an international IPL window of no cricket beside Ireland and Pakistan. He either thinks that the IPL will expand significantly past this window to the point of impacting on the English summer or Antipodean summer down south. Altnernatively that they want the players for a year to control how much cricket they play to make sure they're fit for their tournaments, instead of injuring themseles playing for their country in tests. Either way - this is quite some step from today.
Alternatively he thinks a new tournament will come along. Either way, with No Objection Certfiicates required for nationally contracted player to play in the IPL/BBL/CPL at present, he either thinks that the current T20 tournaments will go independent on the ICC (like ICL was) or a new league will be established
or players will stop signing with the Boards annually, and just one big t20 franchise that will control what cricket that player may play. Wow.
Which then leads to a more interesting debate further down, if T20 eats away into test and international cricket by not releasing the players, T20 with its foregin player quotas will probably ultimately not just destroy test cricket outside the big 3, it will damage irrepairably to b grade sport status all international cricket nations without a big fancy t20 tournament of their own. Cricket isn't like soccer where there are over 100 countries, if not many more, good enough to qualify for a World Cup. And Cricket isn't like the NBA in that most the best talent is American produced in the High Schools and Colleges. Current cricket talent is produced in 10 or so nations, but those without a fancy t20 comp -the odds of getting picked and with less future internationals to display those wares, and less money, many just won't take it up as a career for the hope of an IPL contract, and without the international games, the fans in those countries will have nothing they want to watch.
So I guess the question is, can the IPL survive as big as it is now, with far less foreign imports of sufficeint talent available, because that is the T20 "owning" players will ultimately head. Do imports make the t20 tournaments bigger and better events for fans? On the bright side, the quotas will often be redundant and unnecessary. Sure the likes of R Ten Doeschate and R Khan will continue to be unsurface. But this is bit like the goose and the golden egg, or a parasite that requires a living host to thrive scenario.
If t20 as a parasite want to own players the way national boards do now acting as the host that supplies players, then they will be killing the goose and severely limiting the international flavour - but does this matter for the IPL or a new t20 comp to remain super big in India? Will Inidan fans keep watching to see the best Indian talent? Even if cricketing nations start dropping off the radar. Given the way the BBL thrives wihtout the best Aus players and only 2 imports - it just may. Bmac's argument isn't just limited to tests, that will just be the first casualty if there are any at all, it is actually international cricket as we know it.
Thoughts?
It would be nice to see some senior players speak encouragingly of the test championship. Acknowledge the efforts to make an IPL window. And to continue to suggest how things may improve.
I even wonder had there been an IPL window before Brendon retired, whether he would have retired, because the $400k he'd pocket from playing for NZ, would fairly rival CPL, BBL, PSL and BCL. I know that the England 2015 tour cost him a lost of IPL dollars, and
he retired before the next IPL. I'm not sure whether he is just drawing on personal experiences or if he is looking at how ICC nations are being very proactive now about this situation.
