Cricket's C-Word...

Is 'Content' King? Yes, for millions now, but for how long?

Todd Greenberg is a good sports administrator, no doubt. He has a long and successful track record starting – in the big time – as Chief Executive of the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia between 2016 and 2020 before taking over in the same role at the Australian Cricketers Association in 2021.

Four years later he was appointed as CEO of Cricket Australia which had a sense of ‘poacher turned game-keeper’ given the sometimes acrimonious history between the Players Association and the national body. He fought the players cause in a number of robust debates with Cricket Australia and was well respected by his peers at the Federation of International Players Associations (FICA), which is now the World Cricketers Association (WCA).

Most of the other national Player Association CEOs are forced to burn too many bridges with their national bodies to ever be considered as potential employees by them, and certainly never via a direct move from one to the other. But, like the players he once represented, Greenberg is a professional and switching allegiances was a necessary part of the job.

Greenberg has masterminded the playing of the Big Bash opening fixture, between the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, in Chennai in December. It is a bold and audacious move to capitalise on India’s voracious appetite for the game. Given the BCCI’s equally voracious appetite for protecting what is ‘theirs’, it is an extraordinary coup.

When Greenberg was asked about the possibility of staging a Test match between Australia and England on Indian soil, he replied: “It’s not something that we are planning, but it’s open for consideration. We’d have to be open to considering all options,” he said. And then came the line which has changed my outlook on professional life:

“Our relationship with the ECB and the BCCI is very strong and clearly there are opportunities in India to put more content in certain areas.” With that, Greenberg confirmed his complete transition from player representative to board official.

Two words landed with a shuddering jar. “Put” and, especially, “content.” Another word for ‘content’ is ‘stuff.’ And we are all looking for places to ‘put’ stuff. It’s unlikely he used the word ‘content’ to describe what the Australian players did for a living when he was at the ACA.

Trinidadian, Nicholas Pooran, plays for four MI franchises around the world. In the UAE (MI Emirates), South Africa (MI Cape Town), America (MI New York) and England (MI London), he is a loyal and very well-paid MI man. But he’s never played for the actual Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Rashid Khan is in exactly the same position.

Ryan Rickelton has just completed an MLC season with MI New York having played for MI Cape Town and the actual Mumbai Indians, yet is currently playing for the Sunrisers Leeds against MI London in The Hundred. Pooran plays for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL.

Does any other credible sport in the rest of the world have a similar situation? Would they tolerate it, or even allow it?

“It’s nice to represent them again,” said Pooran after winning the opening game of The Hundred for MI London. “At the end of the day, I’m a professional. I represent Lucknow (in the IPL) and I represent Mumbai in the leagues outside. For me personally, I’m getting an opportunity to do what I love to do, which is to play cricket.”

Greenberg provided a welcome perspective with his ‘content’ comment. Pooran’s further comments were equally welcome: “Franchise cricket is not for everyone. Not all international players who do well are going to come on the circuit and do well. It’s very difficult.

“Coming into different environments, some environments are not professional enough. It’s easy to be turned off; if I can say, it’s easy for us as players to just go on a vacation in those leagues. But again, to survive in these leagues, you just have to be motivated and be disciplined because, again, it’s not for everyone.” Stuff. It’s not for everyone. Vacation?

In June, following its AGM, the ICC expressed “…concern regarding the growing expanse of franchise cricket…”. It announced its intention to form a committee to look into the situation, now that they are the BCCI.

There is an equally undeniable truth that the placing of stuff in the cricket calendar, domestically and globally, serves a purpose and feeds hungry mouths. It is hard not to wonder whether the stuff might have a potentially longer shelf-life if cricket followers knew who their players were.

And just when you thought this was a depressing missive, no! The increasing prevalence of ‘stuff’ might lead to an increased interest in the most relevant of all global cricket. Test cricket. It may be naieve, and Test cricket may be shrinking all the time but, rather than pondering the relevance of all the ‘stuff’ out there, that’s where I’d rather be. Silly, maybe. But until I hear more of the best players saying they prefer T20, that’s where I’ll be. Millions of other people are happy with where the stuff is being put. Utmost sincerity intended, good for them.

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