Homer reports that England's players are not happy about playing in a winner-takes-all care of Stanford. From the Daily Mail article Homer links to:
The players are keen to take part in the annual
big-money match at Stanford's private ground in
Antigua, and an annual quadrangular tournament
in England, featuring the hosts, the All-Star XI
and two other international sides, initially from
Pakistan, Sri Lanka or New Zealand. But the
prospect of winning — or losing — such an enormous
sum of money as £10m, perhaps on the misfortune
of a dropped catch or the outcome of the
last ball of the game, has proved too much.
Why? They fear that it will effect team cohesiveness. In a similar move, much to Miss Field's consternation, the Aussies went so far as to wear VB caps so that poor old baggy green-less Brad Haddin wouldn't feel left out during a tour game:
Former Australian player Greg Matthews has told News Limited
publications that he would never have abandoned the traditional baggy
green cap in favour of a sponsors cap.
"Money talks," Matthews said. "You're selling your pride, selling the baggy green. It just cheapens things.
"If someone said to me I had to wear a VB hat, I'd tell them to piss off," he continued emotionally.
Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, Philip Pope, said that the
decision was made for the sake of uniformity, with commercial
considerations not coming into it.
Anyone want to ask Vijay Mallya about team cohesiveness? Finally, Ottayan lists the terms of the IPL contracts and argues that they're loaded in favour of the players.