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Journalism of Courage
Fast bowler Shane Bond left New Zealand to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League, clinging to hope the ICL will eventually be officially recognised and that his international career may resume.
“I’m sure the restraint of trade things will eventually be tested and who knows what will open up. The landscape is changing all the time,” Bond said.
New Zealand has joined all Test-playing nations in refusing to sanction the ICL, while allowing its players to join the Indian Premier League which will operate under the auspices of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Bond, 32, will receive a reported USD 800,000 a year for playing in the ICL. In doing so, he has had to give up his international career because New Zealand Cricket has instructed its national selectors not to consider players with ICL connections.
Bond is shortly to join the English county Hampshire on a short-term contract but that involvement might also suffer because of his ICL involvement. The England and Wales Cricket Board has warned that players with an ICL affiliation may not receive the necessary clearances to be registered for county play.
“The ECB board (is) determined to disassociate and distance itself from any promoter, agent or individual involved in such events,” it said in a statement yesterday.
“It was further noted that unqualified cricketers requiring a ‘no objection certificate’ to be registered for cricket in England and Wales are unlikely to receive such certificates from their home boards if they participate in unauthorised events.
“In order to protect the genuine interests in the development of grassroots and county cricket and protecting anti-doping and anti-corruption measures, the ECB policy to condemn unauthorised events will be taken into consideration when evaluating any application to register players for county cricket.”
