Apr 15 2008
IPL can damage Cricket: Wasim Akram!
The great cricket bowler and Pakistan former Cricket Captain Wasim Akram warned on Monday that the Indian Premiere League could seriously damage the international crocket if not intervened by ICC (International Cricket Council).
“I fear the IPL can be a serious distraction and destruction if the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t intervene because it involves huge money and players are ready to abandon international cricket,” Akram said.
IPL which is going to start from April 17 has already stirred controversy with high profile players willing to retire to feature in the multi-million dollar bonanza. This will be the first time in cricket history when international players will together play forgetting national boundaries for privately owned and city based teams. The Twenty20 competition lines up eight teams bought by franchises which selected their players via auction last month.
“The ICC should have foreseen the danger 10 years ago because the ICC and cricket boards of countries earn billions of dollars with players getting a small percentage, so such a thing was bound to happen,” Akram said.
Now there has come a stage where players are willing to opt out of international cricket, which is dangerous.”
Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-day matches during an illustrious career for Pakistan, said he hoped new ICC chief Haroon Lorgat, who will replace Malcolm Speed in June, would tackle the problem.
Akram also said that huge interest in Twenty20 was a potential danger for 50-over one-day cricket. Akram said that to maintain a continuous interest along 50 long hours, ICC will have to do some strong efforts.
“Overs 20 to 40 are starting to prove boring for fans — even I would not watch the middle overs if players like Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi aren’t batting,” he said.
Akram further has shown his concern over boycott of international media agencies to cover IPL. “I see these restrictions as odd, unwise and hope they relent because people want to see pictures and coverage in print.”
He said that no event can get off without media coverage in this culture.
