Michael Vaughan calls ECB paranoid, urges the board to reject contract of players who choose IPL over National team


Former England Cricketer, Michael Vaughan in his recent column on The Telegraph urged the England Cricket Board that ECB should cancel the central contract of the players who choose to play IPL or Franchise Cricket over the England Team.

Vaughan said that ECB is being paranoid and argues England may lose some of its best players to IPL.

“England are being paranoid if they think their players will turn down a central contract to play in the IPL. Ashley Giles told my show on the BBC this week that England do not want to go ‘toe-to-toe’ with players over the IPL because in the long run ‘we may face losing some of our best players,” wrote Michael Vaughan.

“I think that is a wrong message to be sending. If an England player came to me aged 26 or 27 and said he was choosing the IPL and franchise cricket over an England deal my response would be simple, ‘Go on then, see you later, goodbye, but I tell you what, I bet you come knocking back on my door in a year or two’s time’,” he added.

Vaughan suggested that ECB should increase the duration of central contracts for the cricketers like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer for at least a few years, Unlike a traditional 12-month contract and compared cricket to football by stating Franchise Cricket can become another premier league if the trend isn’t stopped.

“If England really want to make sure it does not happen then why not offer their best players two or three year central contracts? High-level sport is about looking after the best individuals so give Ben Stokes or Jofra Archer more than a one-year contract. That way you are tying them down. Instead they have 12-month deals,” said Michael Vaughan.

“If we reach the stage where a player turns down a central contract for a franchise then cricket will be going the same way as football. It will be the moment when we say goodbye to international cricket as it is now,” said Michael Vaughan.

“The Premier League is a better product than international football, other than World Cups and European Championships. You get the feeling in football players try to pull out of friendlies and the fans feel like they are missing out when international weeks are on because the Premier League is on hold. Cricket is not there yet but it could happen. This is why boards need to realise how powerful they are,” Added Michael Vaughan

While this said, IPL 2021 is going to start on 9th April and many famous England players including Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Moen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan are going to be taking part in this 14th season of IPL.