Cricket As the cricket world evolves, South Africa’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, stated that they are already having discussions about split-format contracts.
South Africa’s new Future Tours Program schedule has fewer international engagements to make room for the now-standard SA20 and Indian Premier League window in world cricket.
The England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have already split format contracts, with the former board being in a stronger financial position.
CWI has long permitted players to have multiple contracts, with the small stipulation that they must be available for domestic tournaments if they wish to compete in International Cricket Council tournaments.
Nkwe stated that the transition to split contracting is unavoidable, but it must be implemented in a manner that is satisfactory to all parties.
Nkwe stated that in the next two months, the player’s association will be consulted further to ensure that all parties are in agreement.
“Discussions regarding the changing landscape of the game have already begun due to the leagues’ enormous financial impact.
“In order to ensure sustainability, it is necessary to develop a model that benefits all parties involved.
“We can improve our player management and consider ways to expand our player base. Contracts will become significant, so we are examining the market.
“We may need to give it a trial run to determine its efficacy and deal with the resulting difficulties.
“If it means we have three distinct contracting models, then so be it, because I believe cricket will eventually adopt the same model as rugby and football.”
Nkwe conceded that the dominance of T20 Leagues will force boards to relinquish control of players and result in the game adopting the contracting model of rugby and football.
However, according to Nkwe, the allure of ICC tournaments will always keep players interested in playing for their respective national teams.
“We may not have complete control over players in the future due to the proliferation of leagues; players also require ICC tournaments,” Nkwe said.
“They need them to maintain their reputations, and the players know that nothing is more fulfilling than playing for their country.
“Every player will tell you that when it comes to ICC tournaments, the nation comes first, and based on my conversations with players, they want to play for South Africa.”
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