In February, Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid announced that he had turned down a red-ball contract and instead committed to the white-ball forms of the game. A week later Nottinghamshire batsman announced the same decision, with Hampshire bowler Reece Topley agreeing a white-ball only contract a few weeks later. The County Championship is about to begin, so here are some reasons as to why these players have made this decision, what it means for the fans and whether it is selfish or sensible.
Cricket is constantly battling between what is best: the short form of the game or the traditional form of the game. The formats are constantly compared and players must now be able to adapt to all styles, in order to earn a living. However, since the introduction of Twenty20, there has been a shift in how cricket is portrayed to the wider audience. Twenty20 is fun, dynamic, allows batsman to be explosive and can be over in a few hours; whereas, test or first class cricket is seen as taking too long and being too slow.
Around the world there are many lucrative Twenty20 competitions. The Indian Premier League is the biggest of them all but there also tournaments in Bangladesh, Australia, the Caribbean and even the UK where white-ball specialists can play and earn a decent pay packet. Alex Hales and Adil Rashid have never been test regulars for England but they have both enjoyed stints in the national side. Yorkshire bowler Rashid has played ten matches taking 38 wickets at an average of 42.78 but his last test appearance was in December 2016 in India.
Nottinghamshire’s Hales has played 11 test matches scoring 573 runs with an average of 27.28 and his last test was against Pakistan in the summer of 2016. Nevertheless, they have decided to not play in first-class matches for their counties during the 2018 season – Hales has agreed until the end of the 2019 season. Both players are in their prime aged 29 and 30-years old. They should have a few more years where they are able to play to the best of their ability. Arguably, as a spinner, Rashid should be coming into his best and most successful years now. So why are players now deciding to only play the short forms of the game?
Money is always a factor along with game time. Are they consistently playing for their county side? Do they have contracts with sides in competitions in other countries? Do they have a chance of being picked for their country? These three aspects are all crucial in deciding what type of contract to have. Sportspeople have a short career. They have a limited time in which to earn, potentially more money, than they will in their later years. Is choosing more money selfish or is it sensible?
Making the most of a short career in the format that has brought you the most success. Being able to play in the Indian Premier League, where you can earn a few years worth of income in the space of a month. Is it selfish to choose to play for money and earn more contracts? Or is it sensible to use your ability to earn when your stock is at its highest?
There were many differing reactions to the announcements of Rashid and Hales. Those who believe that they are throwing away the chance to represent their country in the test format. Those who believe that they are letting their county down – Yorkshire always perform well in Division One and Nottinghamshire have just been promoted. Finally, there are those who believe that they are making the best decision for themselves.
Rashid has seen his test chances disappear before his eyes. The final nail in the coffin would be not being picked for the recent Ashes tour, instead England went with the youth choice of Mason Crane. Hales, on the other hand, potentially had more chance of regaining a spot in the test side. The England batting line-up is not settled, the side is constantly changing and there are calls to drop some of the players. Yet both decided to focus on the white-ball game, one that they have excelled in. Hales produced some outstanding performances last season to help Nottinghamshire win both domestic one-day competitions, while Rashid has been a feature in the ODI and T20 squads and has been contracted to the Adelaide Strikers.
Finally: is it selfish or sensible? There are reasons for and against choosing this career path. Purists will feel that players should always want to be part of the test/first class setup but it is understandable, if players are not getting game time in that format, to choose to stick with what they are best at. Of course it can be argued that they are being selfish, choosing money over the game but that decision is also sensible if they want to potentially lengthen and make the most of their career. Only time will tell to see if this trend continues into the future.
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