Ben Stokes, who has said that “the landscape of cricket is changing in front of our eyes,” has pleaded for players to be understood when they make the decision to maximize their earning potential at the price of their participation in international duty.
Mark Wood, the England pacer, has expressed some reservations about signing another central contract as he mulls over the possibility of cashing in on Twenty20 franchise cricket.
Wood has committed to playing in the International League Twenty20, which will begin on January 13 in the United Arab Emirates. As a result, it is possible that he may miss the first three Tests in a five-match series that will begin in India on February 1.
The 33-year-old told the Daily Telegraph that participating in both tournaments was “not a viable option for England,” and he added that there are “more things in play than just solely my love of playing” international cricket. Both tournaments are being played simultaneously.
The opening batsman Jason Roy gave up his contract with England earlier this year in order to play in the Major League Cricket in the United States. Despite this, he has been included in their preliminary team for the 50-over World Cup, which will begin in India in the next month.
As opposed to the arduous process of touring, players who participate in Twenty20 competitions all over the world have the opportunity to earn far larger sums of money in a shorter amount of time than they do when playing for their national team.
In an effort to fend off competition from Twenty20 franchises, England is offering multi-year contracts to their players. This provides England with a greater degree of control over their players, who in turn have an increased level of security for themselves.
When speaking on Thursday, the day before the start of a four-match one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, the captain of the England Test team, Stokes, stated that it was essential to be aware of the various circumstances that were in play.
“Everyone is at a different point in their life, not just in their career,” he added. “Other things require the individual’s consideration at this point in time.”
“If a person makes a decision because they think it’s best not only for themselves but also the future and security of their family, then it’s very hard to disagree with that.”
He went on to say that it was up to the person. Things like this become a little bit easier to accept if you have a good and clear awareness that the landscape of cricket is changing in front of our eyes very swiftly.
Stokes, who came out of retirement for one-day internationals in time for England’s defense of their 50-over World Cup title, remarked that the chances available to cricket players were “great for the sport.”
The word “opportunity”
“The more opportunities that come, the more people will be attracted to the sport and trying to make a career out of it,” he added. “The more opportunities that come, the more people will try to make a career out of it.”
Former England Test captain Michael Atherton, who was one of Stokes’ predecessors in that role, issued a dire warning in Thursday’s edition of the Times, stating that “the five-day game and bilateral international cricket is withering in front of our eyes.”
Stokes, whose team is famed for their swashbuckling approach, refuted that notion and stated that they are able to continue on the energy gained from the last exciting Ashes series, which ended in a tie.
“Me and (head coach) Brendon (McCullum) are very clear and obvious on what we want to achieve as leaders of the team at the moment,” Stokes said further. “It’s our responsibility to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
“For the sake of the next generation of people who are going to be coming through, we are going to keep continuing to drive that mentality and the reason behind everything we do on the field,”