Brian Lara hit a patch of poor form during the inaugural ICL tournament in 2007 and is missing the current tournament because of an injured wrist. Anand Vasu, of the Hindustan Times, spoke to Lara on the ICL, players having more options than just playing for their country, and India v Australia.
Drawing away from the monopoly the boards had over their players? If you ask a New Zealand cricketer what his financial terms are with his country you'll realise that the IPL and ICL are good avenues. Stanford was not under the WICB in its first year but since it has come under the official umbrella. Let's see what happens in India with the leagues. Equally let's see what the boards do in countries like New Zealand. I've played Test matches in New Zealand where there are two men and a dog watching while next door there are 60,000 people watching a Rugby game. So the NZC have to get their act together and make sure they keep their cricketers. You can't blame a young man for going out there and seeking to make a living for himself and his family.
