49 percent of international cricketers ready to give up central contracts
World players' body FICA highlights T20 league dominance in new survey
ODI World Cup is still considered the most important cricket tournament, the report said
By LAKSHY DREAM FOUNDATION GLOBAL NEWS Web Desk: The T20 revolution seems to be taking over cricket sooner than expected as the majority of international cricketers, barring Indian players, are ready to give up their country's central contracts to become freelance agents and secure T20 league contracts across the globe, world players' association FICA said in its annual report.
In a report that helps raise quite a few eyebrows, 49 percent of international cricketers would consider giving up a central contract to play in T20 leagues. The report does not include observations from India as Indian cricketers are not under the aegis of FICA, PTI reported.
Free Agency Market, as the report categorizes the current employment scenario in world cricket, is taking over world cricket.
The three distinct categories according to the FICA report are the Traditional market, Hybrid market, and Free Agency Market.
The division of percentage is 18% in the traditional market which is about players having primary home domestic/international contracts. The Hybrid Market, which involves primary home domestic/international contracts as well as overseas domestic contracts (T20 leagues, county), has 42% cricketers while the most alarming rate of increase is the Free Agency market which constitutes 40 per cent.
The Free Agency market solely involves multiple home and overseas domestic contracts (own country's T20 league as well as other T20 leagues across globe).
Interestingly, the inference drawn from the trend is that the traditional market only constitutes Indian players as they are not allowed to play overseas T20 leagues.
"The growing trend is for players to move towards hybrid or free agent status, with 82% of the top 100 players from the T20 Player Index now in this category. 40% of the top T20 players in the world now do not have a central contract with a top nine cricket country," the FICA report said.
"Most of the best players in the world are now in the hybrid / free agency markets. The percentages plotted above only reflect central/nationally contracted players featuring within the top 100 of the T20 Player Index. Almost all of the 18% ‘traditional market’ players are from India, highlighting the restraints placed on these players preventing participation in overseas domestic leagues," it further stated.
While the West Indies players were pioneers of giving up central contracts to play in T20 leagues, New Zealand players are following the trend in the recent past. Top-rated left-arm pacer Trent Boult recently gave up central contract along with Colin de Grandhommee and Martin Guptill.
Pacer Tim Southee, speaking to the press on November 29, said the trend is likely to continue in international cricket as lucrative T20 league deals are changing the landscape of cricket.
ODI CRICKET LOSING RELEVANCE?
Meanwhile, the FICA report also shed light on the dip in popularity of the 50-over format even though cricket fans think the 50-over World Cup is still the pinnacle of world cricket.
The survey suggests that there is a marked dip in the percentage of cricketers who still think that ODI World Cup is the most important event in the ICC calendar.
"54% still consider the 50 over World Cup as the pinnacle ICC event, although this has reduced significantly from 86% in the 2018/19 FICA survey," the report stated.
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