At a time where cricket exists in a state of flux between international and franchise, Australian great Mike Hussey admits he’s anxious over the sport’s future.
With the proliferation of franchise-based Twenty20 competitions, backed largely by private equity, players’ priorities are being tested in ways the sport hasn’t seen.
For the most part, franchise cricket is now controlled by a small number of owners, who hold stakes in teams in multiple leagues worldwide.
The Ambani family, who own Indian Premier League side the Mumbai Indians, also control teams in America (Mumbai Indians New York), South Africa (Mumbai Indians Cape Town) and Dubai (Mumbai Indians Emirates). The family also owns English outfit the Oval Invincibles, who will be renamed Mumbai Indians London for 2026.
Cricket’s calendar has become so congested, with franchise leagues clashing with the international game, players are now walking away from their countries at younger ages to maximise their earning potential.
Despite the pride in representing one’s country, especially in test cricket, the financial windfalls available in the shorter formats have revolutionised how and why players make decisions.
This year alone, West Indies and South Africa wicketkeepers Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen have retired from international cricket at 29 and 34 respectively, to focus on franchise commitments.
In New Zealand, former captain Kane Williamson skipped the Black Caps’ tour of Zimbabwe to take up a deal with English sides Middlesex and the London Spirit.
As a player, Hussey’s record speaks for itself, playing in 79 tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20 Internationals during his career, as part of Australia’s golden era of the late 2000s.
But as no stranger to the franchise circuit – with coaching roles in India with the Chennai Super Kings, and England’s The Hundred with the Welsh Fire – the tug of war between club and country is worrying.
“I’m a bit nervous, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” Hussey told the Herald.
“It seems to be going towards where players might play for a particular franchise – say the Chennai Super Kings – and play for their three or four teams around the world. Every now and then, you might come back and play for your country, a bit like a football model.
“I kind of hope we don’t go down that path. I still think playing for your country should be the pinnacle.
“But I do fear that there are more and more leagues popping up all the time, there’s more and more money being paid to the players to play in those leagues. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for countries to compete with that.
“I don’t know what the future holds, and I do hold a few fears for that. I’m a traditionalist, in the sense that I’d love playing for your country to be the pinnacle.”
Along with the pull of T20 cricket, the international game faces another challenge as the test scene appears on the verge of fragmenting even further into the haves and have-nots.
In January, it was reported that representatives from Australia, England and India had met to discuss the idea of introducing a tiered system of test cricket, where only a handful of countries would compete at the highest level.
Theoretically, according to current rankings Australia, England and India would be joined by New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka in tier one.
Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe would make up tier two – however no element of promotion and relegation has been mentioned.
Since then, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has commissioned a working group to explore the feasibility of a two-tiered system, led by former Black Caps batter Roger Twose.
Hussey recognises there are two sides to the argument about the proposals.
“Off the top of my head, there are pros and cons,” Hussey said. “I like the idea, in the sense that it’s difficult with the current schedule and landscape for every country to get around and play everyone.
“What I don’t like about it is that the stronger countries, financially, like Australia, India and England will keep getting stronger and stronger. Maybe the smaller countries will get weaker and weaker.
“I’d like a world where we’ve got 10 really strong test playing nations. What the ICC can do and all the countries can do to play against each other to make those other countries really strong and financially viable, I’d prefer to see that.
“I’d prefer to see more strong countries, rather than three really dominant countries.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.