"It is something that does need to be addressed," said Ben Stokes when he was asked whether his participation in Tests for England might get affected by the growing battle for space between international and franchise cricket.
The exponential rise in T20 franchise cricket in the last decade or so has left many players worried and confused at the same time. The inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2007 gave rise to tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash.
Life as a centrally-contracted international cricketer was easier back then as a player didn't have to give up his contract to play in these lucrative T20 tournaments. However, in 2024, things have changed dramatically.
Tournaments like the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Major League Cricket (MLC), SA20, ILT20, Global T20 Canada, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Lanka Premier League (LPL) have emerged and put an international cricketer in a fix - whether to remain loyal to his country or to opt for the big bucks.
"Who knows what international cricket is going to look like, with all the franchise stuff that is going on as well? It does need to get looked at. The landscape is constantly changing. I don't think anyone can put their hand on their heart and say they know what cricket is going to look like in even two years' time," Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
International cricket functions as per the Future Tour Programme (FTP) managed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Stokes opines that players who hold a central contract should have a say in designing it to prevent the unnecessary clash with the T20 tournaments happening simultaneously.
"I think some consultation might be quite nice, obviously to Jos (Buttler) and myself. The FTP could maybe see the people playing in it consulted, and I think we could have some good input in that," he added.
