Ponting concerned with ICL

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has warned that the new Indian Twenty20 competition runs the risk of forcing international players into early retirement.

“It’s only a concern if there is huge money involved in it,” the Aussie skipper told an Australian newspaper.

“If this sort of stuff gets off the ground, these guys won’t even be playing with their mates, they?ll be thrown into made-up teams. You?ll be out there by yourself and trying to win some money.”

Ponting also voiced his criticism over the proposed West Indies based blockbuster series, sponsored by billionaire Allen Stanford

“The other thing being talked about is this Stanford guy in the West Indies. The $23 million he?s said to be offering is a concern because the way I look at it is people getting towards the end of their international career will think, ‘If I’m guaranteed that, this kind of money might be a good thing,'” he added.

However, Ponting’s former coach, John Buchanan, has thrown his full support behind both the Indian Cricket League and the Stanford 20/20 competitions.

“The ICL is a fantastic concept but from the bigger point of view, I think Stamford is making the real moves,” the recently retired coach told The Age.

“The stumbling block for him is getting the backing of the West Indies board. It’s a throwback to the Packer era. I understand he’s trying to get the backing of the West Indies board and from there, he might be able to get the backing of the ICC. If that happens, you could have a whole new development in the game with these international tournaments.

“Twenty20 shouldn’t take over from 50-overs cricket and Tests will always be the pinnacle, but we’d be silly to get in the road of Twenty20. I think it’s here to stay and we should embrace that.”