ICL lure three more
Indian riches tempt three Australians out of retirement.
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| Damien Martyn: Following the money to India [GALLO/GETTY] |
Organisers of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) have announced the signing of three former Australian internationals.
Fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz and batsmen Damien Martyn and Matthew Elliott have joined up less than a week after former New Zealand wicketkeeper Adam Parore announced he is to come out of retirement to play in the lucrative league.
Kasprowicz, 36, who ended a professional career spanning nearly two decades this month, played 38 tests and 43 one-dayers for Australia.
Opener Elliott, who played 21 tests and a solitary one-dayer for his country, also announced his retirement from first-class cricket this month.
The stylish Martyn walked away from international cricket in the middle of the Ashes series in December 2006, saying he had lost motivation and was worried he would let his team down.
The 36-year-old Martyn, who played 67 tests and 208 one-dayers, was rumoured to have joined the league last year but did not take part in the inaugural event.
“These high stature Australian cricketers will definitely boost the quality of cricket, strengthen the teams, making the league showcase competitive cricket,” ICL chairman Kapil Dev, a former India captain, said in a statement.
The ICL is bankrolled by the controllers of India’s largest listed media firm but is not sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The Indian Cricket Board have recently rolled out their multi-million dollar Twenty20 tournament, the ICC-sanctioned Indian Premier League, which starts in April.