Four Black Caps sign up with ICL

Former Black Caps Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Hamish Marshall have all signed deals with the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Craig McMillan who stared in the Twenty20 World Championship, but was over looked for the Test tour of South Africa is also close to signing and is to meet with New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan next week to discuss his future.

Lou Vincent who also missed out on selection has however committed his future to the Black Caps and has ruled out any chance of joining the ICL.

English cricketers Darren Maddy and Azhar Mahmood have also signed up along with the following Indian domestic players Abu Nechim, Amit Uniyal, Aniruddh Singh, Gaurav Gupta, Love Ablish, Mihir Diwakar, Rakesh Patel, Abid Nabi Ahanger, Kiran Powar, S Sriram, Pritam Das and Nilesh Kulkarni.

Kapil Dev who is the chairman of the executive board of the ICL said “We are extremely pleased to welcome these players to the ICL family. These talented experienced cricketers will definitely be a great source of learning for the youngsters who will play with them. Under their guidance, the Indian Cricket League players will develop skills comparable to the best of international cricketing talent.”

Dev went onto say “These signings are in line with our objective of providing the best platform for young cricketers from all corners of India to play alongside the superstars of international cricket, learn the tricks of the trade from them and gain confidence to excel.”

The ICL is set to start later this year, with 12 international players being confirmed for the Twenty20 tournament so far.