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The Indian Cricket League's (ICL) plans to sign current New Zealand players have been ruined after the country's board decided it would not release its stars. Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond were linked to the unofficial Twenty20 tournament, but Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive, said the contest could erode the value of official series.
"We depend upon the value of the media rights associated with official international events to provide a majority of our income," Vaughan said. "It is therefore in the best interests of New Zealand Cricket not to support unofficial events such as the ICL." He also has concerns over the proposed Stanford Twenty20 in the West Indies.
Four Pakistani players, including Mohammad Yousuf, have signed for the Indian league, but it has struggled to attract the host of promised big names. Chris Harris and the retired Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns have also been linked to the competition, which has not been sanctioned by the ICC or the BCCI.
Vaughan said no contracted player had asked to appear in the tournament, but the issue was considered carefully and the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association supported the position in principle. "The proposed rebel league is scheduled to directly conflict with New Zealand's tour to South Africa as well as the start of our domestic season," Vaughan said. "We have entered into these contracts in good faith and stand by our players through their contract period. We expect players to treat us the same way."
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<m><a>http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/newzeal ... 08940.html</a><m>
The NZ Board definitely is justified in taking the stance, especially considering the ICC's position on this issue. But, I have to wonder why these national boards, with the exception of the BCCI for obvious reasons, have to worry about their players joining, when Kapil Dev has insisted that players in the ICL would be released for national matches. It does reflect upon the BCCI's influence though.