Ben on...NZC upfront

New Zealand Cricket has published a statement explaining their side of the Bond debacle. In that statement they admit that Bond signed with the ICL in October under the understanding that NZC could release him from his contract to play in the ICL and that the ICL would only require him to play when he had no international commitments. Subsequently, NZC discovered that an ICC regulation (from 2003) prohibits releasing players to play in unsanctioned tournaments. NZC clearly screwed up here and it is good to see them being upfront about it.

Interesting to see that Bond signed for the ICL in October. This was after Fleming decided not to sign, after NZC stated they would not release contracted players, after Mohammad Yousuf dumped the ICL, after the IPL was set up as an alternative. With all this water under the bridge, it is inconceivable for Bond to expect to continue his international career after signing with the ICL.