Former cricketer and England Test coach Brendon McCullum has shared his thoughts on cricketers being offered a long-term contracts by T20 franchises. He expressed that the cricketing boards will be naive to believe players will turn down lucrative long-term deals to play T20 leagues. He stated that the players and the boards need to find a middle ground between T20 leagues and international cricket.
Recently, a report by the Daily Mail claimed that Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians are set to offer a multi-million-pound long-term contract to England pacer Jofra Archer. Speaking to SENZ Radio in New Zealand, Brendon McCullum expresses that there is a shifting landscape from international cricket to T20 leagues. He said,
“The last few years, there’s been a shifting of the sand somewhat around international cricket. 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. It’s definitely a shifting landscape and you’ve just got to be fluid.”
“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,” he added.
As a spectator, you want to see the best players in the world representing their countries: Brendon McCullum
Former cricketer Brendon McCullum further expressed that it is important for the players to enjoy their time playing for their countries. He added that, if the players enjoy International cricket, they may give up other lucrative financial deals. Brendon McCullum said,
“How much fun they’ve had, how much those experiences which they’ve been able to get in an England shirt is so great that they are prepared to continue to put their yards (in) even though it might not be as financially viable as some of the other leagues.”