Naive to think players will turn down big T20 league money to play for country: McCullum
The Hindu
England Test coach Brendon McCullum feels the cricketing landscape is changing quickly and the time is not far when several players will choose big money in T20 leagues across the world over playing for their respective countries.
England Test coach Brendon McCullum feels the cricketing landscape is changing quickly and the time is not far when several players will choose big money in T20 leagues across the world over playing for their respective countries.
The charismatic former New Zealand cricketer, who has turned around the fortunes of the England Test team along with skipper Ben Stokes in the last one year, indicated that cricket boards would be "naive" if they think players will turn down lucrative T20 league offers to play for the country.
"In the end, the game is going in a different direction," McCullum told Sen Radio.
"The last few years, there's been a shifting of the sand somewhat around international cricket and we'd be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge amounts of money on long-term contracts for a lot less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket.
"Those days are fast approaching to be over," said McCullum, who stepped down as IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders' chief coach after he was offered the job to manage the England Test side.
McCullum opined that the boards will have to find a solution to the tricky issue as they cannot just allow their top cricketers to play only in the leagues while giving international cricket the short shrift.
"So, what you've got to do is you've got to work with these players, you got to work with these leagues and try and allow ideally players to have their cake and eat it too because you want your best players playing (international cricket).
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