‘It’s not fair’: Wasim Akram’s blunt verdict on England players not playing in the IPL playoffs | Cricket News
After Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan, Wasim Akram is critical of England players who left their franchises in the playoffs to play in the four-match T20I series against Pakan in England.
“If you cut salaries, will it affect anything if your team doesn’t win after reaching the playoffs? You’ve put in all the hard work and in the last hurdle, your boys leave because they have to play for the country. It’s not fair,” Akram said in a chat on Sportskeeda.
“This is what you play for. That’s why it’s frustrating not just for fans but owners, and captains of the teams for any league. So, I agree with Irfan [Pathan], come for the entire tournament otherwise don’t come,” he added.
Earlier, Pathan would take to his X (Formerly known as Twitter) account to express his discontent about players leaving. “Either be available for a full season or don’t come!” Irfan Pathan wrote.
Gavaskar on the other hand too in his Mid-Day Column would write, “I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises.
“The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 percent commission of the fee that each player gets,” Gavaskar stated.
Change in stance
Michael Vaughan who backed the decision of players leaving took a U-turn in his opinion after England beat Pakan 23 runs after the first game was washed out.
“I think you’re going to miss the trick sending all their players home. You know, I think Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Josh Butler, in particular, playing in the IPL in the eliminators, pressure, crowd, expectation.” Vaughan said on ‘Club Prairie Fire’ podcast
I would argue that playing here is better preparation than playing a T20 game against Pakan,” he added.
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