This danger is for real

Nobody can be blamed for not fully envisaging the future but cricket deserves censure for not properly planning the path of different formatsThe administrators had ample time and opportunity around the beginning of T20 cricket to draw up a stable blueprint for the gamersquos future It shouldrsquove included a way forward that allowed for a variety of formats to prosper without involving inbred cannibalismInstead the IPL shrewdly established itself as the premier of franchise cricket whilst obtaining an exclusive window for the competition It didnrsquot hurt that they also ensured Indian players were well compensated for exclusively supporting the leagueThe IPL now subtly dictates cricketrsquos future as it spreads its wings to purchase international franchises Meanwhile the players have far more financial clout than ever before and substantial control over their future in the gameThe administrators could never have imagined that the 1977 World Series Cricket WSC revolution would eventually transform player powerUntil the arrival of WSC if players were unhappy with a controlling bodyrsquos remuneration they basically had nowhere else to play Now a player can tell his home board to jump in the lake if hersquos unhappy with the money being offered and they can then ply their trade on the world franchise marketThis situation is further enhanced as the IPL franchises expand by buying teams in international leagues like the West Indies South Africa UAE and the USA Emboldened by such success the IPL is currently looking at investing in individual players by offering them longterm contractsThis could eventually lead to players only representing their IPL franchise in different leagues while refusing a contract with an individual country The lack of foresight by administrators has handed the players a financial bonanza and allowed the IPL owners to prosperThere is a danger that IPL franchisesmdashtherefore big businessmdashwill eventually dominate cricket reasoning and T20 will become the accepted way of the futureWhile spectators happily pay to watch T20 and sponsors and media outlets are willing to pay substantial money for rights to the game itrsquos important cricket maintains a balance The game needs wellthoughtout variety in its scheduling but this is not the priority of big businessAs the WSC revolution leader and businessman Kerry Packer said ldquoNever let a media organisation run your sportrdquoIndia dominates cricketmdashwith help from the highly successful IPLmdashand the BCCI is seeking a much bigger slice of ICCrsquos financial pie There is no doubt that India is THE cricket powerhouse but the game needs to prosper overall rather being subservient to a sole nation The game canrsquot afford many major nations tobe underfundedCricket had the opportunity to appoint a viable body to oversee the game whilst also compiling a sensible playing schedule Instead selfinterest and political powerbroking prevailed and this has allowed the IPL freedom to flex its mighty musclesNo one can blame the players for accepting large financial rewards as they only have a short career in which to capitalise on their earning power Likewise the IPL recognised a weakness in the market and is now taking full advantage This weakness was exacerbated by the administrationrsquos lack of foresight in past yearsIf the administrators had engaged the different stakeholders in the game they could have better planned cricketrsquos future and the finances could now be more evenly distributed By canvasing the various ideas of players the administrators the sponsors and the fans cricket could then have produced a sound roadmap for the future and ensured the gamersquos popularity expanded accordinglyAs it is therersquos a danger that too much wealth will finish in the hands of too few and T20 leagues will dominate the cricket scheduleCricket needs variety in the different playing formats to satisfy customer needs Therersquos a danger this will be overlooked and the gamersquos delicate equilibrium upset if big business thinking prevails over cricket common senseClayton Murzellorsquos Pavilion End column will be back next weekSydneybased former Australian captain Ian Chappell is one of the most influential voices in the gameThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper