Interview of Shane Bond about Indian Cricket League (ICL)
Hindustan Times has published an exclusive interview of New Zealand player Shane Bond. You know that Shane Bond is considered to be one of the best pace bowlers of our time, but his professional career has been cut shot because of his association with Indian Cricket League (ICL). It was a great loss for New Zealand Cricket team and a loss that New Zealand cricket team could not recover untill now. Shane Bond has come again in to India to play for the second season of ICL. Bond joined ICL because he was given a lucrative career with a lot of money. He is at the twilight of his career and it is natural that he should think about his future and about his family. So, he joined ICL and got a decent amount of money. This did not go well with everyone. New Zealand cricket board banned him and as a result there is no Shane Bond.
From the Interview:
How do you view Sri Lanka Cricket’s decision to allow ICL players in a domestic tournament?
It’s a good decision and was bound to happen. As ICL grows, it is putting more pressure on the boards. A lot of countries can’t afford to lose players and allowing them to play is a viable option.
What is the situation back home?
We have as many as nine players in the league. Considering this, I can say New Zealand has suffered in the short-term. I can’t say the same for the long term. But, it’s the same everywhere.
Unfortunately, New Zealand Cricket is of the opinion that ICL is a mess and should be squashed. To me, it is the same as IPL. Both are good for cricket and the ICC needs to do something to make them co-exist.
In the interview with Hindustan Times, Shane Bond has talked about different things. He has criticized BCCI and ICC for not looking after the interest of the players. He feels that ICL will become more attractive this season and there is a new team from Bangladesh called ‘Dhaka Warriors’. Shane Bond also welcomed the recent decision of Sri Lanka cricket board for allowing ICL players to take part in domestic tournament. He is also unhappy to see that New Zealand cricket is suffering from the politics involving ICL and IPL.
