Not worth picking players who choose IPL's money over international cricket: Shane Warne
Former Australia captain Shane Warne has said that cricket boards shouldn't consider players 'worthy' of international matches if they choose the opulent IPL over national duty.
Shane Warne, who is also the current mentor of the Rajasthan Royals, suggested that he isn't against players earning huge sums at the IPL. Warne argued that giving them a free hand will soon see most players picking money over representing the country.
"I don't begrudge the players getting the money they have, it's fantastic. If they want to take the money, [let them] take it. But if you want to play cricket for your country and you choose the IPL, then maybe it's not worth picking those guys then because this is going to happen - people are going to rest and miss Test matches and miss representing your country to go and play for money," Shane Warne said on the Road to Ashes podcast.
Shane Warne further said that only Test cricket provides players with the real opportunity to test themselves. He explained that the choice to play in the IPL should come at the price of this opportunity.
"It's pretty hard, you know if, someone says here's 3 million bucks or go over to somewhere and be away from your family for six weeks, it's a very easy decision to take that money. But if you value yourself as a cricketer and want to test yourself against the best, there's only one spot to do it and that's international cricket, especially Test cricket. If you want to choose the money, that's fine, no problem, but you might have to wait for a few Test matches and you might go down a few runs no matter how good you are because there's always someone that can replace you," he added.
Shane Warne's observation has come against a curious background. Australian players are pulling out of bilateral tours to remain fresh for the second half of the IPL 2021. On the flip side, some top England stars have hinted at choosing international cricket over the league in case of a clash.
Michael Vaughan echoes Shane Warne's sentiments
Former England captain Michael Vaughan also agreed with Shane Warne's opinion. Citing the example of football and the Premier League, he said cricket boards need to be stronger with their players to prevent the franchises from dictating terms in the future.
"Football in the UK is pretty much the Premier League and then every two years the players want to play for their country because there's a Euros or a World Cup. Cricket is going down that channel. They've got to be very, very careful. I do think it's down to the boards of all these national teams to be stronger with the players. If they want international cricket in 20-30 years to still be the pinnacle - which it is now and I hope it continues that way - they have got to be stronger with the players and not allow these franchises to take them up," said Vaughan.
The BCCI on their part have already announced that the IPL will go on with or without the overseas stars. The second half of the tournament is set to kickstart on September 19 in the UAE.