The IPL changed the monopoly of international cricket to the time of the players: Pat Cummins

Cummins agrees that Trent Boult’s decision to deny the New Zealand center a contract in the lucrative T20 league around the world has been pending since the IPL changed the face of the game a decade ago.

“It’s been coming for a while but I think it’s here now,” Cummins was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the World Test final against India at The Oval on 7 June.

“International cricket does not have a monopoly on players’ time like it used to. The IPL changed that a decade ago, but there’s just more and more content, so I think we have to be proactive about it. Cummins wants his teammates to consider national duty above all else, but said that would be a challenge in these days of cash-rich franchise leagues.

“We have to make playing in Australia as special as possible and keep the performance high so that every player wants to play in Australia as much as we can. That’s going to be a challenge.

“I think it’s in our hands now and we’ve got to start thinking about it quite deeply. I think a few years down the road the 12-month international calendar might look a little bit different,” the speed forward said.

Cummins believes cricket is going the way of football and there will come a time when national teams will need permission from franchises to play in the country.

“When you talk about some of the opportunities that franchises can offer, I don’t think you can blame players who might take that option,” he said.

“I can see the day when it (franchising) happens. I think it’s a reality. You’ve seen it in other sports. So again, we’ve got to keep selling why playing in Australia is so special. And making sure there’s some flexibility to try and get the best away from these guys.

“We still want the best players to win us World Cups and win the big leagues. But it’s clear that there are more competing interests than in the past.

“That’s why things are starting to pick up and it’s moving towards a more global model of football where you play for your club, you’re employed by your club and you’re released to play for your country.”

Cummins believes the WTC will provide more context with bilateral test series.

He said he was looking forward to Australia’s first WTC final and that too against India, who made the cut in the last innings as well.

“We’ve got India into the World Cup final first, which I think a lot of people have forgotten,” Cummins said.

“It feels like there’s a little more to it the second time. That first incident felt like a huge missed opportunity. So it certainly gives each series a bit more context now, something big to play.

“The big series, say the Ashes or the India series, where you play four or five Test matches, are obviously big battles, whereas the more common series where you play two or three in a row, it (the World Test Championship) gives them a bit more global context and something a bit extra to play with.”