The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Shane Bond all set to join ICL

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Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
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Shane Bond all set to join ICL

Melbourne: Shane Bond is all set to join the Indian Cricket League, a development that has put New Zealand Cricket in a dilemma.

According to a report in The Australian, NZC is under pressure from BCCI to ban six players who played in the inaugural Twenty20 tournament at Panchkula and now, with Bond joining the rebel ICL, it might have to do the same with the tearaway pacer.

The daily claimed if banned, Bond would hit back by suing NZC for restraint of trade and that puts the Board in an awkward situation.

Chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers Association Tim May supported the players’ right to earn a living, irrespective of whether it’s a Board-backed tournament or not.

“With New Zealand and these other poorly paid countries, it’s incredibly enticing at the end of their career, or even in the middle, to look after themselves,” May said.

“You may well see more ICL-contracted players signed up. So what are we going to do, have a New Zealand second XI out there?

Is it in New Zealand’s national interest to put out a half-baked team?” he asked.

“Is it in world cricket’s interest? These are the questions people really need to sit down and think about.

“And there is also the rights of the players to ply their trade. We want to encourage people to play cricket professionally, don’t we? It’s not necessarily a bad thing, this ICL,” he said.

NZC has already lost Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall and Daryl Tuffey to ICL. — PTI

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