Nothing secret about Bond's intentions to join the Indian Cricket League

Bat and ball / Paul Moon / 10 January 2008 / Leave a Comment

Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Betfair. Pablo looks at the achievements of Shane Bond and questions whether he is right to turn his back on New Zealand to join the Indian Cricket League

I am patriotic but as an individual do you put your allegiance to your country before your bank balance? This is the position that Shane Bond of New Zealand has found himself in. Personally, my loyalties are my family, then myself, then my country and I do not find this selfish or a contradiction.

Bond has been lured to play in the commercial rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) where there are already six other ex-New Zealanders signed up. The Black Caps confirmed they are in talks with Shane Bond to discuss his playing future but the word on the street says he has already signed a three-year deal and it is too late! He is gone for good!

This 32-year-old injury prone fast bowler is the best they have had since Richard Hadlee and you can imagine the feeling within the country should they lose their premier fast bowler? It is a bombshell of gigantic proportions! This also opens the door wider, some say off the hinges, for other Kiwis to follow and with a policy of not playing those associated to this new league, New Zealand cricket could be decimated.

Other countries including England must acknowledge the market forces pressurising cricket. We cannot sustain County Cricket in its present form. It needs an overhaul, root and branch, then iced with innovation, presentation and reward! It must be spectator and television based and the duffers upstairs who resist change must be sacked or pensioned off.

The NZC and others need to be conscious of the risk of this new stage and move fast. It is no good posturing with gin and tonic in hand, then rubbishing the Rebel League. NZC would prefer Bond to sign with the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has the backing of India's board but is worth a fraction of the ICL offer and is dependent on fitness and appearances.

I actually approve of private investors in the game and though I am not an accountant, there must be a way we can engage them for the betterment of cricket. I would hate to see 'two track cricket' being the norm! I readily accept that we must not let the businessman control the game, we must not sell its soul. But whilst wanting to maintain the pureness and beauty of the game, we must move our sport into the 21st century and have no choice but to encourage and absorb modernisation.

I do not know the particulars of Shane Bond's contract but you can be sure it is nowhere near the £250,000 per year that our centrally contracted players receive and I cannot condemn him, with the couple of years he has left, not to make the most of his life. It is a pity that New Zealand Test Cricket has lost him.

Shane Edward Bond's (born 7 June 1975 in Christchurch) potential was only limited by his susceptibility to his injury curse. He is the third fastest bowler playing the game. Bond is unique in that he always seems to save his best for Australia. It is a crying shame that because of injury he has only played in 17 Tests but has taken 79 wickets at an average of 22.39 with five wickets in an innings on four occasions. He has played 67 ODIs and claimed 125 wickets. On 23 January 2007 Bond became the second-fastest bowler in history to take 100 One-Day wickets and you wonder what could have been achieved with a fully fit career? (Please look at www.cricinfo.com for his statistics).

He has been unlucky. His injuries have been real and cruel and not from the school of Steve Harmison. He is a class cricketer and I do not begrudge him a single rupee considering his situation. I wonder how many of us given the same chance would not do the same thing?