Gideon's warning

Gideon Haigh is a writer I respect very much. I've only read one of his books (a wonderful biography of Jack Iverson), but have read dozens of his newspaper and periodical articles over the years. He has a keen sense of the history of the game, and thus, is fairly prescient as well. So, when he speaks about the disturbing implications of Twenty20, its worth cocking an ear. While Haigh uncritically accepts the mutterings of disgruntled Aussie players (and also strikes a false note with his suggestion that this is all about wanting to see someone else than Australia win), there is definitely something to his worries that the game is starting to play host to a force that it might not control. I do not think it has been fully understood by people just what doors have been opened by the creation of the new premier Twenty20 league which will let in corporate franchises who can bid for players. These entities will have money, oodles of it. They will be able to bid for television rights for their own games (like Notre Dame negotiates its own rights), and they can pay whatever salaries they think are commensurate with their players' abilities (sporting and money-earning). Test cricket could see its potential pool of players shrinking; Sky might not bother to pay ECB good money for test series any more; the possibilities are endless. While the ICC might make noises about protecting tests, in the end they will do what the greenback tells them. Yes, indeed, be careful what you wish for.