No player is bigger than the game - Geoffrey Boycott - Cricket News Update
Former English great, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806 as ‘rare and special’, but reckons that no player is indispensable or bigger than the game.
The English legend believes that the lure of the cash-strapped Indian Premier League (IPL) could never be matched by the national boards and acquiescing to a player’s demands would set a bad precedent for future.
Pietersen’s last deal with the Indian Premier league was worth £1.3 million for a six-week contract with the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 Daredevils, which was cut short half-way through the competition owing to his international commitments.
“No country is ever going to be able to pay its players as well as the IPL does. The IPL has untold riches,” said the former batsman.
Following his impressive 149 during the second Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 future, which raised serious question marks over his loyalty to represent Poms.
The star batsman reportedly, had requested the ECB officials to grant him a lay-off for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 series so that he could complete his stint with his franchise in the IPL. Boycott feels that such exclusive treatment would be detrimental for the team’s
unity.
“If the ECB give in to him then other England players will expect the same consideration. If that happens we will only have half a team available to play Test matches,” he said.
Disgruntled with the quota system in the South African cricket where he mostly played as an off-spinner, Pietersen left his country of birth and moved to England to sign a three-year contract with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nottinghamshire-c826 in 2000 before making his international debut
in 2004 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045.
The lanky batting star was instrumental in helping his side win the Ashes in 2005 and was declared the Man-of-the-Series in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean – which still remains England’s major international title to date.
Boycott, 71, said that the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Surrey-c851 player will be dearly missed if he decides to throw in the towel on his career, but his spat with the ECB does not mean that that players dictate term to their national boards, and its him, who is going to have regrets later
in his life.
“English cricket welcomed him and gave him opportunities beyond his wildest dreams after Natal sacked him saying he wasn’t good enough.
“If Kevin decides to retire from all international cricket after the Lord’s Test he will be the loser,” the former great concluded.
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