âMoney grabâ IPL shouldnât get precedence over T20 World Cup, opines Allan Border
Former Australia captain Allan Border is of the opinion that the Indian Premier League is just a âmoney grabâ and shouldnât get precedence over the ICC Menâs T20 World Cup 2020. The ICC mega-event is originally scheduled to be played in the October-November window this year in Australia.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League was indefinitely postponed by the BCCI last month as the nationwide lockdown in India was extended. However, with talks of cricket returning, there were speculations that given the T20 World Cup in Australia is postponed then the BCCI could host the IPL in the October-November window. According to former Australia skipper Allan Border, the IPL is just a "money grab" and cannot be allowed to take precedence over this year's T20 World Cup. Border has said that home boards shouldnât be allowing players to participate in the IPL if it comes to that.
"(I'm) not happy with that. The world game should take precedence over local competition. So, the World T20, if that can't go ahead, I don't think the IPL can go ahead. I would question that decision -- it's just a money grab, isn't it, that one? The World T20 should take precedence, for sure. The home boards should stop their players going to the IPL if that's the case," he said in ABC's Grandstand Cafe radio program.
"That would be just shut the gate, you know, India running the game. They're pretty close to it now, but I suppose if you're responsible for 80 per cent of global (cricket) income, you're going to have a fair say in what goes on, I get that. But I think the world game can't allow that to happen. I don't think you can have India superseding what the international game has in place. That would be going down the wrong path."
Further on, the former Australia cricketer has also opined on the ICC's Cricket Committeeâs recommended ban on the usage of saliva on the ball due to the risk of COVID-19 spread. According to Border, the authorities will have to allow the use of an artificial substance to shine the ball instead of sweat.
"They will obviously have to relax the rules over polishing the cricket ball with some sort of substance other than sweat or saliva. Whether you're allowed to scratch it, or put saliva to shine it on one side, or picking the seam â there's always something going on about the cricket ball, isn't there?...the bowlers have got to be able to do something with the cricket ball, not just let the ball go so the batsmen can smash it everywhere. They've got to be able to shine the ball to try and extract some swing, that type of thing," he added.Â