From: sidi@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Sadiq Yusuf)
Subject: Re: RICHEST EVER COUNTY CONTRACT
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 23:07:16 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.153351.5061@walter.bellcore.com> shamim@bellcore.com writes:
>In article 1FDC2420@vms.csd.mu.edu,  9063iyerm@vms.csd.mu.edu (Murali Iyer) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep28.012750.566@unlinfo.unl.edu>, gunnit@cse.unl.edu (Gunnit S. Khurana) writes:

>>Ironically, at about the same time as Waqar Younus, Salim Malik and Mushtaq
>>Ahmed were being offered these contracts, a couple of Indian cricketers have
>>jeopardised fellow cricketers' aspirations to play in the English league. 
>>The story is that Maninder Singh and Atul Wassan left their respective club
>>sides in the lurch and flew home a couple of weeks before the season ended. 
>
>>I don't know what to think of this. Any thoughts? 
>>
>>-Murali
>
>
>
>Well, a bit of the same happened with SRT at Yorkshire.  There was a
>lot of goodwill and harmony that SRT generated during his stay. Then
>with two weeks left for the county season, Yorkshire got a stern wire
>from the BCCI (or some such board in India) demanding that SRT be
>released forthwith so that he could play in local Indian matches and
>hence be considered for the SA tour. The article gave the distinct
>impression that the tone and words of the wire message were quite sharp
>and were not well received by the Yorkshire committee.  I do not know
>whether this has really damaged SRTs relationship with Yorkshire CC.
>
>I believe that Wasson, Maninder and SRT were concerned that if they did
>not play in the Ranji (or whatever) they will not be eligible for
>consideration for the SA tour.
>

	OK, I read a little bit about this controversy while in India, so I
can elaborate a bit. Read an article by Vengsarkar in the Mid-day ( he
writes for them occasionally now )  before the Indian domesic season
began, in which he made a plea about this sort of thing. He claimed that he
lost a conract with a league team once , a few years ago, because of this
sort of thing . He claimed the board people shifted the domestics around,
forcing all contenders for the  national side to light out early,
abandoning their clubs and jeopardising their futures in league cricket.
Mani and Wassan would not have had a chance to work their schedule around
the domesitcs - the dates this year are very different . For the first
time, the season in India began in August - way too early conidering the
rain factor etc . ( that, actuallly, is the reason we've been seeing low
scores in the dometics so far this year, the groundsmen haven't had time to
prepare the pitches ). But the team has to be selected by the first week of
Ocober, so there isn't much choice. Can't really blame Mani and Wassan -
they would have to play in the domestics to be eligible. Feel sorry for
Wassan tho, he wasn't picked for the Duleep ( Kapil, Chetan and Prab were
the pacemen ). 
	Now , the SRT case is different. SRT left YCC early, because he
said he had to play the domestics to be eligible for SA. However, before I
left , I read a report in which the board flatly denied asking SRT to
return for the domestics - the spokesman said that they understood he had a
contract in England and didn't require him to break it. And anyway, the
spokesman said, the domestics are just for judging the form of players who
are not certainties in the team, which SRT obviously is ! So, they ought
not to be blamed for SRT returning early. He himsellf called them and asked
for the dates of the games, and reurned for them of his own initiative. The
theory expounded in India , at any rate, was that SRT was likely homesick
(remember, he _is_ still a kid, and he's been away from home effectively
since October last year ) and wanted to return early, and merely used the
board and the domestics as an excuse. That was the theory at any rate - it
might well be that SRT assumed the Board would expect him to return and so
arranged it. Or, of course, that the Board spokesman was talking thru his
hat, which, incidentally, would not be for the first time :-) 
                       

     
>I should mention here that league cricket does not pay that well. The
>contracts to Waqar or Wasim are exceptional and are for county
>cricket.  League cricket is quite different and a good contract for a
>pro, for example, would be a couple of hundred pounds a week.
>

	Which, with a plunging rupee , is not bad at all ! :-) Iam sure it
sounds very attractive to a lot of Indian players who are on the fringe of
the test team eg . Wassan, Mani , Kambli etc 


			Sadiq [ up-to-date on these things ] Yusuf
 
>	--SAN
>