The media (read The Hindu
(http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/04/stories/2009080453401600.htm), the Deccan Herald (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/17732/twenty20-no-way-groom-talent.html) and the Times of India) have all widely reported the anguish expressed by former Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath on what he terms as a “priority shift” in the working of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). In particular, Srinath has cited the differing attitudes towards the long pending proposal to establish a Karnataka Cricket Academy via-a-vis the KSCA’s keenness to launch the Karnataka Premier League. The following quotes have been attributed to Srinath “There seems to be a priority shift in the working of the KSCA. The basic premise of an association is to improve the game and contribute to the development of the players but the apathy shown towards the Karnataka Cricket Academy shows that a shift has taken place.” “T20 is a great format that reaches new audiences but, at the grassroots level, it is not on. You must orient the kids towards the longer version and then introduce the T20. Don’t make these kids professional T20 players at the age of 17. Money at this stage is difficult to handle. Don’t people realise this?”
The above observations call for some serious introspection, not just within the KSCA but from the entire cricketing fraternity. At a larger macro level, Srinath’s views should be seen not merely as a criticism of the KSCA but of the manner in which all cricketing bodies are viewing the game of cricket per se in a rapidly changing environment.
Cricket administrators across the world appear to be unsure on where to place T20 cricket within the existing cricketing hierarchy, which also comprises of the other three forms of cricket i.e. Test Cricket One Day Internationals (ODIs) and domestic first class cricket. Administrators are not sure as to whether they would like to embrace T20 at the cost of Test matches, as that would mean alienating the traditional cricketing audiences and acting contrary to the views held by former cricketers. Yet, it is hard for administrators to turn their backs to the money-spinning potential of T20 Leagues, and hence they are here to stay. Consequently, there appears to be a glut of cricket in the international cricket calendar. There will come a time when the cricketing calendar will have to cave in to either (a) the demands for adequate rest by Players; or (b) sheer spectator and sponsor fatigue. In such a scenario, it is a widely held view that ODIs are likely to be the worst affected as a consequence of the T20 boom, as they can offer neither the fast-paced excitement of T20 games nor the strategic warfare or compelling drama provided by Test Matches.
T20 cricket has also created a fresh set of problems for administrators, some of which have been highlighted by Srinath in his statement above. I would like to dwell upon a few of those issues in greater detail here, and suggest a few solutions to those issues.
(1) Lure of “Easy Money” for Players: Structurally, T20 cricket leagues across the world have developed on the lines of a private franchise ownership model, wherein governing bodies have established a city-based T20 cricket league, and have invited corporates to own and operate franchise teams for different cities. Since, T20 cricket is not played round the year (but is still only seasonal in nature), most franchises operate an administrative setup only for the duration of the season. Therefore, a franchisee’s operating budget also factors in revenue anticipated to be earned and expenditure anticipated to be incurred only during the season, which would typically range from 30-60 days. For players, what this entails is that they would be paid only for services rendered by them during the season. In a high profile league such as the IPL, the salaries earned even by domestic players (i.e. those who have not played international cricket) during a season would compare favourably to those earned by various other professionals such as lawyers, accountants and bankers over the duration of a year! Admittedly, the salaries offered currently in the KPL are nowhere near what is offered in the IPL. However, with the bidding for the eight KPL franchises fetching a substantial sum of $7.3 million, it will not be long before the KPL Franchisees demand a corresponding return on their investment. In an effort to maximize their returns (which can only be done by ensuring that the quality of cricket is of the highest standards), it is inevitable that the KPL Franchisees will raise player salaries significantly to attract more and more players to the KPL. Consequently, the argument that Srinath is advancing is that young players may see the KPL (or for that matter any other T20 League) as a way of earning “easy money” to sustain their livelihoods rather than going through the grind of domestic first-class cricket through the year.
There are innumerable cases of sportspersons going astray due to their inability to handle money and fame (One of my earlier posts on the case of former English Cricketer Chris Lewis highlighted this issue). By providing access to money at a young age, T20 cricket structurally has the potential to exacerbate this issue. This is a perfectly valid concern, and this concern can be addressed only by ensuring that Players are put through a rigorous and continuous education programme, modeled somewhat on the following lines:
(i) Players in the U-16 age group ought to mandatorily complete their high school education, by following the appropriate curriculum (i.e. whether it is ICSE, CBSE, SSLC etc.).
(ii) Players in the U-19 age group ought to mandatorily complete their pre-university education, by following the appropriate curriculum (i.e. whether it is ISC, PUC etc.).
(iii) All Players of whatever age group should mandatorily undergo an intensive programme, encapsulating at a minimal level, topics such as player management; sports psychology; sports medicine; sports law; personality development; and media/public relations management.
One hopes that with exposure to such education, players will attain a certain level of maturity, which will enable them to make informed choices at every stage in their career. The fact that sportspersons have a relatively shorter career span has been repeatedly mentioned by most present and former sportspersons. Not every sportsperson can attain a level of success, fame and respect that their services would be utilised by cricket administrators on completion of their cricketing careers. Hence, education can play a key role in enabling a Player to have a secure future (whether in cricket or elsewhere) once his/her playing career ends. The question that arises is who should be facilitating this education programme? To me, the governing body in question (i.e. in Karnataka, it is the KSCA whereas in Punjab, it is the Punjab Cricket Association) is the guardian of the players, and hence it is their responsibility to facilitate this education programme for all players registered with them.
This is exactly where Srinath’s other concern lies i.e. that the KSCA has not created institutional mechanisms to assist in the development of players. Srinath specifically cites the case of the proposed Karnataka Cricket Academy, which has been placed on the backburner for the last three years. He believes that the failure to establish a proper training ground has hindered the development of cricketers within Karnataka. Srinath is also of the view that this infrastructural issue ought to have been addressed by the KSCA, prior to the establishment of the KPL. By establishing the KPL before providing the requisite infrastructural and educational support to players within Karnataka, the KSCA appears to have placed the cart before the horse!
(2) Administrators’ Focus on Short Term Profitability: In their effort to maximize short-term returns (by exploiting the revenue generation potential of T20 cricket leagues), most administrators have overlooked the critical aspect of infrastructure development.
There is no doubt that an investment in a cricket academy is a long-term investment, and the returns on such investment would not be visible in the short-term. However, such an investment is just as essential, if not more, than an investment required to set up a T20 League. While education can shape the personality and character of cricketers, a cricket academy can hone the cricketing talents of cricketers in the right direction. The provision of world class facilities, including but not limited to (i) training kits, bats, gloves, pads, protective equipment; (ii) cricket pitches of different kinds; (iii) facilitation of play under floodlights; (iv) modern gymnasium and fitness facilities, etc. all go a long way in developing the Player and preparing him/her for the pressures and grind of all forms of cricket, whether Tests, ODIs or T20s. One need not look any further than the successful experiments of the Australian Cricket Academy and the National Cricket Academy, to find proof of the concept. It would be unrealistic for cricket administrators to expect that a high standard of cricket would be on display in leagues such as the KPL, in the absence of a proper infrastructure setup.
With Cricket being such a popular sport in India, it should not be difficult for administrators to attract high levels of sponsorship investments in cricket academy projects, provided these academies are administered by experienced former cricketers, who are committed to developing the game of cricket. Provided they are highly motivated, it should also not be too difficult for administrators to simultaneously champion three different projects i.e. (a) the establishment of cricketing leagues/properties to generate revenues for the sustenance of the game of cricket; (b) the development of a comprehensive player education programme to ensure a secure future for their prized assets, the Players; and (c) the development of cricket academies so as to ensure that that the bar is raised higher and higher for cricketers in terms of their cricketing performance! All this calls for is a reversal/rethinking of the “Priority Shift” by cricket administrators, that is geared towards refocusing their energies on more mundane (non-glamorous!) and basic issues such as education and infrastructure! Whether administrators will be able to look beyond short-term revenue and political goals and concentrate on developing a strong grassroots structure for cricket is another matter! Perhaps the media can also play a crucial role by highlighting the developmental work performed by academies rather than focusing only on more “glamorous” issues presented by T20 Leagues!
About the Author:
Amrut Joshi leads the sports practice at MMB Legal in Bangalore and can be contacted at amrut@mmblegal.in. The views expressed in this post are his personal views.
Posted by Amrut Joshi