David Leggat on cricket: Chasing money is never simple

Might events of the past few days have given a glimpse into the future of international cricket, or more specifically, international cricketers?

And has Andrew Flintoff just provided the best bit of free publicity bungy jumping has ever enjoyed?

Take a step back.

England's damaged but charismatic allrounder, convalescing in Dubai, as you do, from the latest of his four ankle and two knee operations in the past four years, has turned down an English contract partly because he wants to be able to maximise his earning potential in Twenty20 jaunts round the globe. Sign the contract and his options would be down to his paymasters' discretion. His manager helpfully added that under the terms of the contract Flintoff would be prevented from taking part in what are termed adventure sports.

Flintoff is lining up a variety of money-making ventures, one of which might require leaping into space with an elastic band tied around his feet. But he also fancies the idea of becoming cricket's first true freelance cricketer (he wouldn't be, plenty of others have played for their country and more than one state or provincial or county team round the world, for the right fee).

Evidently he has deals lined up to play for Chennai in the Indian Premier League, South Australia, an unnamed West Indian Twenty20 outfit, and the Nashua Dolphins of South Africa.

This is Freddie's new world, flitting around the planet like a performing seal at Twenty20 circuses, all reasonable offers considered. The fact he's got an average Twenty20 record and is a step from the knackers' yard seems not to matter.

And this relates to New Zealand how? Because Flintoff could find it tricky playing in the IPL after next year as the Indian operation has tightened eligibility regulations, which they put down to New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

IPL boss Lalit Modi now says uncontracted players need a no-objection release from their boards "for two years post-retirement/not in contract" to be eligible for his big show.

"Players can't pick and choose whether to play for their countries," Modi added. Flintoff is cleared for next year's IPL, but not 2011.

There was an implication McCullum, through an intermediary, had explored ways of circumventing a New Zealand Cricket contract while maintaining his IPL deal before signing in July. It would not have stopped the national selectors picking McCullum, but allowed him greater freedom.

Players outside the 20 given national contracts annually, have been picked for New Zealand as recently as the just-completed Sri Lankan tour.

McCullum is understood to be unhappy at the insinuation he was picking lightweight jamborees over the national side - and that he was singled out. NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan has defended the players.

The six IPL-contracted players for next year - captain Dan Vettori, McCullum, Ross Taylor, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram and Jesse Ryder - won a delay before signing their contracts for the coming season until they got an idea of IPL dates. In other words, to check how much money they would miss out on through being obliged to play for New Zealand against Australia, which cut across the start of the IPL.

That in itself was fair enough from a purely personal finance perspective. As it happens, they stand to lose several hundred thousand dollars, the IPL starting around March 12, before the two tests against Australia.

At the time New Zealand's sextet re-signed with NZC, the national players' association boss Heath Mills warned this issue would become an annual thorn unless a clear window for the IPL was created, with all national boards buying in. There's no sign of that happening anytime soon. But what of the freelance Twenty20 specialist?

Here's a thought. What if next year a player went to NZC and said he'd had a variety of offers to occupy him through the coming months round the globe, with big financial spinoffs.

The board replies: 'Fine, off you go, best to the wife and kids, see you same time next year?' Who would suffer more?

The player, through a year out of the official international spotlight, or the national side? Both, of course, in different ways. And if you think that's far-fetched, think again. This particular current is moving swiftly.