Be afraid, cricket is auctioning off its own soul
‘‘How good is this?’’ asked Shane Bond when Mike Hesson, the coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, decided Kyle Jamieson was worth $2.86 million to play T20 cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The answer to Bond’s question is it is very good for Jamieson, and an absolute disaster for cricket. As ker-ching and bling reverberated and glistened all around the IPL auction, test cricket was being sold down the Ganges. The holy game was being bartered for a handful of cash.
Here’s why. Jamieson has no known value as an international T20 player. His worth is entirely calculated through his brilliant performances in test cricket.
In T20 cricket Jamieson has played five times for New Zealand and put in only one significant performance. He has taken four wickets at an average of 34.5 with an economy rate of 8.28. In six test matches Jamieson has taken 36 wickets at an average of 13.27 – he also averages more than 50 with the bat.
In Monday night’s opening T20 against Australia he took one wicket off three overs at an economy rate of 10.67, comfortably the worst return of the six bowlers used by New Zealand. He didn’t bat.
Jamieson had even worse figures in the first T20 against Pakistan and looks unsure of himself in the abbreviated form of the game. Yet the IPL has put this ridiculous value on Jamieson.
That’s not because of his current cricketing worth as a T20 player. It’s because of his value as a name in cricket over the previous 12 months, a name that has been entirely made in the true trials of test cricket. Yet it is test cricket that is about to see the biggest betrayal in its history.
On June 2 New Zealand will play a test match at Lord’s, the opener in a two-match series. This has often been said to be the pinnacle of a player’s career and yet there is a real chance that Jamieson will not be there to make the walk through the Long Room and to try to put his name on the honours board.
David White, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, has said they will take ‘‘a pragmatic approach’’ and ‘‘work through the decision in conjunction with the players’’ if some of New Zealand’s players are still required by their IPL teams at this time.
England have said the same thing, but at least had the decency to be honestly direct about it. Coach Chris Silverwood was asked if England players might miss the tests against New Zealand in order to contest the knockout stages of the IPL.
He said: ‘‘It’s the way of the world. It is very difficult to say no you can’t play in the IPL. You certainly can’t say no to one and yes to another – if they are playing they are playing it’s as simple as that . . . I can understand [the frustration of fans] but I’m at peace with where we are at.’’
Silverwood may be at peace, but many cricket fans, the true fanatics, will feel betrayed. This is the moment when the International Cricket Council has to get tough and require the IPL and any other half-baked cricketing slot machine to release all players to test cricket. But of course we won’t hear a peep from the governing body.
ICC chairman, New Zealander Greg Barclay, is not about to say ‘boo’ to his Indian masters, the very men who greased him into power. As former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently said; ‘‘ICC only thinks about money, sponsorships and TV rights’’.
On Monday in Christchurch there was an entertaining T20 victory romp over Australia, but who actually won? New Zealand owed their victory to the 99 not
‘‘What we were watching was a TV product, not genuine international cricket.’’
out of Devon Conway, who came here from South Africa when he was 26, chasing the chance to play international cricket.
Perhaps his most famous cricketing countryman is Kevin Pietersen, who left his homeland for England aged 20. After captaining England and falling out with the England Cricket Board, he went on to play the popcorn version of the game for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Hollywoodbets Dolphins, Delhi Daredevils, St Lucia Stars, Melbourne Stars, Quetta Gladiators and Rising Pune Supergiants.
Or should I say the KFC version of the game? The coverage of the Black Caps’ opening T20 against Australia was a slave to money. The commentary box was stuffed full of ex stars, not because they are articulate or are good observers but because their star value will somehow dazzle viewers. Depressing.
But should we be surprised at TV’s commercialism when New Zealand Cricket has sold out the game to the highest bidders. The commentators pumped up the volume on Monday night when the ball was hit into the ‘‘KFC zone’’.
At halftime we were told there would be a quick break and then ‘‘we’ll have their run chase when we come back.’’ Whose run chase? I am sure there were plenty of Aussies watching. Then we had the cardinal sin of TV greed when we missed a couple of balls of the Australian innings because we were still away for ads after the fall of a wicket.
What we were watching was a TV product, not genuine international cricket. When Mr White tried to defend the indefensible, namely NZC’s grubby contract with Spark Sport, many of our readers turned on him. When White called the commentary team fresh and leading edge and suggested more Kiwis and new fans were accessing cricket, you called him out.
‘‘More accessible? Sorry but that simply is not true,’’ you said. ‘‘Corporate double speak.’’ ‘‘NZC have given us the big middle finger.’’ ‘‘A complete stuff up by NZ Cricket, ignoring the majority of cricket fans for the almighty dollar.’’ ‘‘Found the spark commentary team painful.’’ ‘‘The Mr Bean of sports administrators.’’ ‘‘Holding New Zealand cricket fans to ransom.’’
There was more of the same, because you people know the truth. When the UK put test cricket back on terrestrial TV recently, over a million people watched the opening test between India and England. But don’t expect that to happen in New Zealand. You see, the game is under the IPL hammer. Cricket is being sold off at auction.