Employer Rights Highlighted As Donald Is Rested (21 Nov 1995)

Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 21 November 1995

First Test: Employer rights highlighted as Donald is rested

By Christopher Martin-Jenkins in Pretoria

ONE of the last acts of the Test and County Cricket Board, when they meet next month to discuss the future administration of the game in England and Wales, may be to give Ray Illingworth and his successors the power enjoyed by South Africa`s selectors.

Peter Pollock, the home chairman, confirmed yesterday that his main strike bowler, Allan Donald, will, at his request, not be playing for Free State against England this weekend. Instead he is going to Johannesburg early for three days of one-to-one work with the national coach, Bob Woolmer, before next week`s second Test.

England`s chairman and manager reiterated, after the first Test in Pretoria had finally been abandoned yesterday, his firm opinion that occasionally he, too, should have the right to rest players in the interests of the national team.

The counties will need to be convinced that the privilege will not be abused, and may possibly require compensation if a player is rested for a county game, but if they have any appreciation of the demands on the regular international cricketer, especially the fast bowler, they will surely see where the priority should lie.

At the heart of the issue is who employs whom. If the South African selectors want any player to be rested, their wishes can immediately be granted by the Board because members of the national squad - currently 15 strong - are employed by themselves and not by their provincial cricket authority.

The TCCB will have to debate whether the South African system would work in England. They will conclude, no doubt, that to employ a national squad centrally would be an unnecessary expense (it proved so in the case of winter contracts) and that so long as there is compensation, and a genuine commitment to putting the needs of their national team first, it would be better for counties to continue as the employer.

Counties are already given a basic #2,075 when one of their players is picked for England, an amount which rises in accordance with the player`s own Test fee, currently a basic #2,700, according to the number of caps he has won. Illingworth was unhappy last season when Darren Gough, officially unfit for England, still played in two NatWest matches for Yorkshire, but there was apparently nothing he could do about it.

Ali Bacher, the chief executive of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, spelt out their policy thus: "The UCB will encourage nationally contracted players to play for their provinces when not representing South Africa but will in principle support the selectors if they ask for a player to be rested."

In fact, I suspect that it was never the intention that Donald should play at Bloemfontein. Test bowlers all over the world, including England, tend not to play against the touring team.

This time, however, they might be wrong: Donald`s lack of rhythm at Centurion Park had nothing to do with tiredness; more, perhaps, with a lack of match practice.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph