|
 Former
Australian Cricketer
Damien Martyn has been confirmed as the new
recruit on the Indian Cricket League roster.
Martyn, a stylish middle order batsman is going
to be the first Australian to join the rebel
league that has started to make serious damage
to not only Indian Cricket but also World
Cricket. Martyn had first rejected the offer
from the ICL a few days back but now that the
league is starting to take shape, the Australian
felt that it was too good a financial offer to
be ignored. The ICL is still hoping to get a few
more Australians like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne
and Justin Langer on their list.
Damien Martyn had ended his international career
abruptly during the middle of Australia's
successful Ashes Series. The 35-year-old had
announced his retirement from all forms of the
game just before the third Ashes Test in
December last year. Marto figured in 67 Tests
and 208 ODIs in an international career that
spanned nearly fifteen years. Martyn now joins a
list of players who have or on the verge of
their retirement such as Brian Lara,
Inzamam-ul-Haq and others. Speculations are that
some of the current West Indian players are
going to be the next target for the ICL. It is
not difficult to convince West Indian players as
they have been having constant problems with
their board about financial and selection
matters to name a few. Big names like Shivnarine
Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan are already
making news.
The biggest
sufferer from the ICL has been Pakistan as they
lost their best batsman Mohammad Yousuf. The
Pakistan Cricket Board like the Indian Cricket
Board, BCCI had warned that players joining the
ICL are going to face life bans. Efforts are
being made on the part of the PCB to get Yousuf
out of the ICL by offering him an improved
package. Yousuf had a prolific season last year
as he surpassed Viv Richards' record of scoring
the most runs in a calender year along with
smashing nine test hundreds! The ICL is all set
up to launch its first ever tournament which
will be a Twenty20 one that is going to be held
in October. The International Cricket Council
had already stated that it would not be giving
any official status for the ICL League. The
players who have or are going to sign up seemed
to have put the financial rewards ahead of
playing for their respective nations. For
players like Damien Martyn who have officially
retired from International Cricket, it is a
welcome bonus to earn handsome bucks.
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