Economics and politics dominated an auction that left a pair of veterans counting their blessings

If you’re Mohammad Kaif, a lottery ticket would be a smart move, while Damien Martyn could do worse than contemplate the tables at Bellagio or Caesar’s Palace. Neither man has played international cricket for more than three years, and Kaif’s performances in the inaugural Indian Premier League – he didn’t even make the Rajasthan Royals squad for the second season in South Africa – were as ordinary as Martyn’s brief flirtation with the nearly forgotten Indian Cricket League.

The Royals, captained and coached by Shane Warne, bought out Kaif’s $675,000 (£412,000) contract before the auction to free up the space that they then filled with the classy 38-year-old batsman who was once Warne’s brother in baggy-green arms. If that raised eyebrows, there was bemusement when Kings XI Punjab, who have appointed Kumar Sangakkara as captain in place of Yuvraj Singh, splashed out $250,000 for Kaif, whose batting is usually conspicuously devoid of the power and pizzazz associated with Twenty20 cricket.

Many of the headlines in England on Wednesday will focus on the lack of interest in Graeme Swann, but the Twitter-friendly off-spinner’s IPL tale is far from over. The auction represents only the most high-profile route into the league. There are other ways. Both the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings have injured players that they can replace before the action begins on 12 March. In Mumbai’s case, they will have only the $100,000 that they spent on Kyle Mills last season, but Chennai have a whopping $1.55 million to draw on, having seen Andrew Flintoff go under the surgeon’s knife yet again. Don’t be surprised to see Swann or Doug Bollinger, another who attracted no interest, fielding a few calls from agents over the coming days.

With the auction taking place in Mumbai, a city subjected to the worst terror attacks ever seen in India, there was little doubt that the story of the day was the shunning of the 11 Pakistan players on the auction list. When Richard Madley, who usually helps sell antiques and Read more…

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• Freelance Freddie could change face of cricket
• Gamble will give more power to elite players

The era of the freelance international cricketer is upon us. If Andrew Flintoff’s decision to turn freelance is merely the last gamble in an injury-ravaged career, then England might yet reassert their right to control the careers of their leading players. But if Flintoff pulls it off, and becomes a successful, globetrotting cricketing brand, then the game will never be the same again.

Players’ representatives were privately predicting last night that England’s control of their most sought‑after players will now gradually weaken as Flintoff sets the trend. Such a scenario would turn players into powerful mercenaries contesting a hotchpotch of club Twenty20 tournaments, as well as international cricket, for the highest bidder.

The influence of Andrew “Chubby” Chandler, Flintoff’s agent, is writ large in the player’s decision. Chandler has long imagined Flintoff as a cricketing freelance, managing his own fitness and practice schedules, and agreeing his own cricketing calendar to maximize his income.

Considering Flintoff’s more laddish escapades – the drinking bouts that concerned his previous coach, Duncan Fletcher, during the 2006-07 tour of Australia, his tumble of a pedalo during the World Cup a few months later are just two of the best known – some will question whether he can survive without England’s monitoring and guidance. England’s coach, Andy Flower, is now charged with deciding whether Flintoff’s England career should continue when his refusal of an interim contract is a rejection of their right not just to manage his future, but to try to Read more…

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Though veteran Rahul Dravid’s comeback to Indian team for the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy next month have evoked many mixed reactions, it has definitely made one cricketer close home very happy.

It’s none other than our own Parthiv Patel, whose happy countenance says it all. And now, the Gujarat captain wants to do a Dravid in the near future!

According to Parthiv, confidence was never in short supply for him. “But such cases (Dravid) further boosts up my morale. If Dravid can do it the age of 36, why can’t I at 24?” Asked the ace cricketer himself, while revising his own score card so far - the best of which was becoming a Test cricket’s youngest wicketkeeper at 17 years and 153 days when he was called to replace the injured Ajay Ratra for the second Test against England at Trent Bridge in 2002.

Parthiv played his last of 20 Tests exactly a year ago when he donned the Indian blue colour - ODI - jumper way back in 2004.

However, somewhere the flag lost its flutter and the Ahmedabad-based wicketkeeper was replaced by Dinesh Karthik after he failed to live up to the expectations of the Read more…

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Sometimes it is hard to know whether to channel the rage or let apathy wash over you.

Last week, when the news emerged that some Black Caps had sought and had been granted extensions before signing the central contracts offered to them by New Zealand Cricket, was one such occasion.

They want some “clarity” around dates for the New Zealand home summer - specifically the much-anticipated tour by Australia. On the surface there’s not much wrong with that but the subtext was fairly obvious - they want to make sure it doesn’t cut across their Indian Premier League commitments.

This is the modern reality, apparently. But think about what’s wrong with this scenario: NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan and his Australian counterpart James Sutherland are being pressured into coming up with an itinerary for what should be a marquee series between transtasman rivals that does not prevent players taking full part in a competition in which teams are owned by Bollywood actors and beer makers. Read more…

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