Cruel cuts on contract list
April 15, 2008
The most frustrating thing about four of our top order falling out of the top 20 is they are actually the best performing batsmen in domestic cricket.
Mathew Sinclair, Matthew Bell, Michael Papps and Craig Cumming have lost their contracts and it must be said that it's very hard for them to claim they have been given a raw deal on this occasion.
The most frustrating thing about four of our top order falling out of the top 20 is they are actually the best performing batsmen in domestic cricket.
Sinclair vented his frustration on his uncertain future this morning and stated he was still "the best domestic batsmen in New Zealand."
He probably is, but for some reason he missed his opportunity to cement a place in the New Zealand team.
These four earned their places by sheer weight of runs but when they are finally tried at international level they come up short.
It's left New Zealand in a desperate state where players like Jesse Ryder must be given a contract simply because there is no one else who has proven themselves worthy of a place in international cricket.
Ryder certainly deserves a contract based on talent but besides this I think it's hard to justify paying him a retainer when he has by his own actions ruled himself out of cricket for three months.
This aside New Zealand Cricket does seem to be heading down the right path by getting behind a group of young batsmen.
Like Hamish Marshall and Ryder to an extent in the past, domestic form is not always a reliable indicator of how a player might perform at the highest level.
One man who may have a small gripe however is Bell.
He receives Lou Vincent's defunct contract after posting a test century. He also follows this with a last gasp fifty in a tough situation. Three months later it looks like his international career is over.
I agree this probably wasn't enough to get on the plane to England but I do think he is probably still amongst our top 20 players who deserve to be contracted.
And finally, perhaps NZC has missed the boat by not retaining a few young bowlers. Leighton Burtt and Brent Arnel immediately come to mind as good and consistent performers this season.
What do you think of the top 20 contracted players? Would you make any changes?
Mathew Sinclair, Matthew Bell, Michael Papps and Craig Cumming have lost their contracts and it must be said that it's very hard for them to claim they have been given a raw deal on this occasion.
The most frustrating thing about four of our top order falling out of the top 20 is they are actually the best performing batsmen in domestic cricket.
Sinclair vented his frustration on his uncertain future this morning and stated he was still "the best domestic batsmen in New Zealand."
He probably is, but for some reason he missed his opportunity to cement a place in the New Zealand team.
These four earned their places by sheer weight of runs but when they are finally tried at international level they come up short.
It's left New Zealand in a desperate state where players like Jesse Ryder must be given a contract simply because there is no one else who has proven themselves worthy of a place in international cricket.
Ryder certainly deserves a contract based on talent but besides this I think it's hard to justify paying him a retainer when he has by his own actions ruled himself out of cricket for three months.
This aside New Zealand Cricket does seem to be heading down the right path by getting behind a group of young batsmen.
Like Hamish Marshall and Ryder to an extent in the past, domestic form is not always a reliable indicator of how a player might perform at the highest level.
One man who may have a small gripe however is Bell.
He receives Lou Vincent's defunct contract after posting a test century. He also follows this with a last gasp fifty in a tough situation. Three months later it looks like his international career is over.
I agree this probably wasn't enough to get on the plane to England but I do think he is probably still amongst our top 20 players who deserve to be contracted.
And finally, perhaps NZC has missed the boat by not retaining a few young bowlers. Leighton Burtt and Brent Arnel immediately come to mind as good and consistent performers this season.
What do you think of the top 20 contracted players? Would you make any changes?
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