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Contract system to benefit players
The advantage of the contract system for cricketers is that the players also get financial security, which makes for better performance.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:09 AM IST
Read Time: 2 min
New Delhi:
Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly has said that the new system of player contracts will lead to more accountability from the cricketers.
However the advantage is that the players also get financial security, which makes for better performance.
Players of countries that have already had the central contracts in place for the last few years say that the contract system does help players.
Banking on security
Australia were the pioneers in starting central contracts for their cricketers. The system which has been in place since 1998 takes into account seniority, performance and whether the player is a regular part of both the test and one day side.
However the exact break up of payments are not for public consumption unlike the BCCI which has been bold enough to provide details.
Though it is believed that Australia's highest paid cricketer currently is Ricky Ponting while last year it was Glenn McGrath. However, who gets paid isn't what's important.
What is important is that the players feel that the financial security helps their performance.
"The contract system is all about having security behind you which allows you to concentrate on your cricket and your performance. It's a fantastic system for the players as well as the administration," said Adam Gilchrist, Australian stand-in captain.
Increased performance
England adopted the graded payments model in 1998 and their cricket board believes that the team's much improved performance in recent times is an indication of the success of their contract system.
The ECB doesn't insist on giving 20 players a contract every year. This year for example it's just 13. Those vacancies clearly motivate the fringe players who feel that they can get a contract even in the middle of the year.
"We realise that we have to compete with other sports like rugby, football, and we realise that youngsters need to be attracted to the sport as well," said Andrew Walpole, England Team Media Manager.
Learning from example
The Indian model has clearly drawn on the examples of the other countries and from the case of players like Anil Kumble who couldn't earn a dime during long injury lay-offs.
Many also believe that the yearly retainer fee will also weed out the problem of players concealing their injuries.
Under the current system, their biggest worry will be to make sure that their performance is good enough to earn them a renewal of contract.
Topics mentioned in this article
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