NZC's casual contracts quick fix to talent drain

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!' It's an American saying best adopted by New Zealand Cricket in dealing with T20's latest offshoot Major League Cricket (MLC).

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI: 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!' It's an American saying best adopted by New Zealand Cricket in dealing with T20's latest offshoot Major League Cricket (MLC).

Last month, NZC decided to partner with an MLC franchise (starting 2027); a move that signaled to its players that they could be at ease to make the extra buck without the moral quandary of picking club over country.

The month-long franchise offering, starting Friday, designed to leverage from America's lucrative sporting market will see significant participation from Kiwi players. Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Philips, Daryll Mitchell, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Lockie Ferguson are among the top New Zealand players slated to play in 'The Land of the Free'.

Given their shallow player pool, the NZ cricket board has been the most willing to embrace the realities of cricket's changing landscape. NZC was the first to give an allowance to its players to sign 'casual contracts'. Effectively, these contracts would allow its sought-after players to fulfill some franchise commitments over bilateral cricket, still making them available for marquee ICC events.