Freelancing in The Gentlemen's Game - A Species On the Rise

The different colours of a freelance cricketer!

”It’s a tough one for the players because we’re not talking about $10,000 here and there; we’re talking about a million dollars. When Malinga bowls, he puts his body through hell. Two more years of IPL cricket and he can put his feet up and not go through that pain again.”

Stuart Law, on Malinga’s retirement from test cricket, to extend his career in short formats.

There was a time between 1975 and 1990, when a West Indian team comprising of players from various countries in the Caribbean dominated world cricket like no team ever had done before. However, what brought them together was the pride in their team and in their cricket. Years later, the world would see world class fast bowlers, world class wicket keepers, world class spinners and top batsmen all in the same team. But they would be playing for something else which defines the game in the 21^st century – riches.

Fast-food cricket – Bring in the ropes, bring in the crowds and bring on the party!

Test match cricket was played entirely for the purpose of enjoyment, of the game and its nuances. However, somewhere over the last decade, enjoyment gave way to entertainment and cricket had to be compressed to bring in the masses. Colours replaced white, cheer leaders appeared on the boundaries and arenas shone brighter than the daylight. Somewhere in these developments, the seed of freelance cricketing was sown too. Counties had existed in England for several decades. Every county was allowed to have 2 international players from other countries since 1968, to attract crowds. However, considering international commitments and other stipulations, including the fact that one of the 2 had to qualify by residence, this opportunity was not available to many. Sachin had played for Yorkshire and players like Harbhajan and Zaheer playing for Lancashire and Worcestershire respectively, actually came back better players.

But, with 20-20 teams mushrooming in every country, the demand for players, increased multi-fold. Bit and part players, who were forever ignored for the grind of test matches and to a significant extent even in ODIs, suddenly found themselves in the limelight. The idea of shortened 20-20 cricket which was started by ECB and Wales boards way back in 2001, reached new heights with high profile tournaments like IPL in India and KFC Big Bash in Australia. Although IPL’s origins started in the ruins of ICL, that is a tangential story, we needn’t venture to, at this juncture. A 20-20 tournament in West Indies drew funding in millions half a decade ago. Australia started witnessing sell out crowds too. The 20-20 juggernaut that would forever change the dimensions of cricket started rolling!

The Freelancers’ paradise is here to stay !

The freelancers' paradise – hundreds of teams to pick from!

Freelance cricketer – Show me the money, honey!

There was a time when the identity of a cricketer was defined by the country’s colours he donned and the numbers he stacked up for his country. However, there is a current generation of cricketers who have been able to stack up careers in professional cricket, without playing for the nation, sometimes never. This became possible because 20 – 20 tournaments are being organized in almost every cricket playing nation now.

It comes as no wonder that with greater crowds and increased sponsorship, 20-20 became far more lucrative and players started receiving greater remuneration than what could be afforded by most cricket boards or central contracts. Had Andrew Flintoff’s career not been cut short by injuries, he was expected to play across the world including teams like South Australia in Australian cricket, Nashua Dolphins in South Africa, Chennai Super Kings in India and even a team in West Indies; this, after rejecting a central contract from the English board itself. That is when the term ‘freelance cricketer’ probably took its true birth!. The temptation of making millions travelling across the world was too strong to resist and soon, there were a bunch of other players, who quit international cricket but were part of one 20-20 league or the other.

Re-‘tire’ or Retire?

Adam Gilchrist, years after his retirement, still commanded $900,000 at this year’s IPL auction. Andrew Symonds, who allegedly, went fishing instead of making himself available for Cricket Australia selection was picked up by Mumbai Indians for a remarkable paycheck of $850,000, even though he hadn’t played competitive cricket the whole year. Shane Warne was one of the two players retained by Rajasthan Royals, thus commanding a $1.8 million dollar paycheck. There is one thing in common between all these players, apart from the fact that they belonged to the golden generation of Australia – none of them are playing regular cricket for their country.

Around the world in 80 days!

Even players like Hayden and Kumble continued in IPL long after retiring from test cricket. No wonder, that the lure of 20-20, the glitz, the competition, the lights and probably, but not possibly, the paycheck, even made the great B C Lara, make himself available for IPL. The era of freelance cricketers had truly begun! It didn’t come as any wonder then that Malinga chose to retire at the age of 27 from test cricket. The decision was part considering his injuries and the grind of test cricket and part due to the predicament of leaving MI in IPL IV to join his team in England. Shaun Tait is another classic example of someone who quit test cricket, to preserve himself but has been seen in 20-20 tournaments across the world. Dirk Nannes and now, Ryan Ten Doeschate are two other players who have been seen in Netherland colours and then turned freelance cricketers playing around the world. Nannes was seen temporarily in Australian colours too, but the coveted test cap continued to elude him.

Cricket Boards can be unrelentingly snobbish ‘Hard – Boards’ too

There is a popular school of thought that believes that the concept of ‘freelance cricketer’ had emanated from the alleys of wealth and commercialisation. It cannot be entirely true. It could be argued that cricket could be played for fun and even great players like Sachin talk about enjoying your game. Gayle is the one of the greatest examples of someone who knows how to enjoy his game and make others enjoy it too. Yet, the stark contrast between Gayle, the Orange cap winner of IPL 4 with 519 runs and Gayle, the dud of WC 2011, was clear for everyone to see. You don’t need to be a cricket aficionado to understand that this difference was obviously not because of $400,000. Surely, he is a better human being than that. It was about the princely way he was treated by the Bangalore crowds and the RCB and the way he is being thrown around by the WICB. Surely, ego clashes between cricket boards and star players have contributed further to the idea of a freelance cricketer. That is also the reason it might be interesting to see what happens when the snobbishness of BCCI collides with the star power of an Indian player of Dhoni’s calibre and marketing value.

Gayle-force Vs fail-force - A Case Study in enjoying the game

'Gayle'force vs Fail-force – An Obvious Contrast

Country Vs Franchise – Give it a break

I have a thing against players like Dilshan, who vociferously spoke about country over franchise and still played in the IPL. Did he forget that he was tiring himself down by playing those extra matches in India, while he could have been practicing how to play swing bowling? A lot of ruckus is made about players skipping international commitments for IPL, a great example being Keiron Pollard. Pollard had rejected a central contract at the start of his career unlike Flintoff, to be able to play as a freelance cricketer. He has represented MI, SA Redbacks, Trinidad and Tobago and Somerset in various 20-20 tournaments.

However, what about players who play 20-20 tournaments all around the world and then ask for rest from international commitments or are injured in the first international match they play after the 20-20 season? The truth is, there is no black and white way of seeing it and there are plenty of shades of grey. At the end of the day, everyone picks a bat or ball for pleasure and happiness. Team, franchise, money and even country, all come only after a while. At the end of the day, a player has to make choices for career, for country, for his future and also for his own pleasure.

Food for thought – Ravi Bopara played English county, rejecting an IPL contract, in the hope of getting Eoin Morgan’s place in the English cricket team, while the latter was playing for Kolkata Knightriders in IPL. But whom did we eventually see playing the first test against SL?

Top 5 run getters and wicket takers in all T-20 [ Statistics collated from ESPNCricinfo ]

The debate of freelance cricketers has only started. There are vested interests, board supremacies, devotion of the cricket fans, sports aficionados, preachers of ethics, post match parties, cheer leaders, glitz, glamour, astronomical numbers and constantly changing camaraderie. The only thing a freelance cricketer might miss though is a page in the annals of cricket history and the fond remembrance that so many other cricketers like Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd, Sachin Tendulkar or an Inzamam have made entirely their own. It then boils down to whether a player wants to be rich or wants to end up as a legend, but then who can predict if club cricket doesn’t go down the same alley as football, where a George Best or a Didier Drogba or a Lionel Messie or tens of others have become legends through their exploits in club football as much as their performances in international matches! Only time will tell…