UNI
Sydney, Aug 31: Concerned over the huge money on offer for cricketers joining the Essel Group-backed Indian Cricket League (ICL), Australia captain Ricky Ponting said the breakaway league poses a serious threat on the face of ICC recognised tournaments.
Ponting expresseed his concers after rumours spread thick and fast that some current New Zealand players were also joining the rebel league on the lines of Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq.
''I am a bit more concerned this week with the new signings. Going back, there was no-one who said they had signed. There was talk of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. But now it looks as though the Pakistanis and a few of the New Zealanders have signed as well,'' he said.
''You will have some of these guys putting on these Twenty20 events in opposition to the World Cup -- we have seen that there is more money in these Twenty20 comps than there is in the whole World Cup,'' he pointed out.
The 32-year-old flamboyant batsman, also feels that the multi-million dollar league has become a hit with the players who are at the last phase of their career, besides a few young talents.
''The danger is that it attracts the guys who are playing international cricket at the moment.
''If it is only attracting guys who are retired then it won't affect us whatsoever. There has been talk of attracting younger players, but those players will only be India-based,'' Ponting was quoted by 'The Australian'.
Ponting wants the ICC and its member boards to make a stand against the ICL, otherwise he feels they might be stand at a risk of losing international players to the ICL-like private leagues.
''The boards have to get very proactive and make sure they are getting something in place, otherwise they will run the risk of losing a lot of international players, particularly those who are coming towards the end of their careers and maybe some of the ones on the fringe,'' he warned.
''They will have to look at an official competition ... if they don't, they run the risk of not having any players. The amount of money I heard being thrown around for the ICL league is big for a month's cricket,'' he said.