Friday, 22 June 2007

Ben on...money in cricket

Hamish Marshall, as you may have heard, has turned down an offered NZ Cricket contract so that he can play in England as a local player through his Irish passport.

Good luck to him. Given his recent form in internationals, his position in the Black Caps is very uncertain. With the new restrictions on overseas players, playing as a local player gives him many more options. He could well leave Gloucester for a more high profile club.

I was astounded to read however, that if he did move he could earn a wopping NZ$210,000 a season, over four times greater than the NZ$48,000 he was offered by NZC. There may be more to the numbers, but that is still an amazing comparison between a county contract and an international contract.

Who knew there was that much money in cricket? In domestic cricket? It certainly gives a new perspective on those players who choose to stay in New Zealand.

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