McGrath set for another Sydney farewell

Glenn McGrath could make one last appearance in a Twenty20 match for New South Wales this season. The Age reported that the Blues were talking to McGrath about playing Queensland at Sydney's Telstra Stadium on January 8.

That would give McGrath a final chance to farewell his home state before he becomes available for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition. As part of the IPL and Champions League concept, McGrath could potentially be recruited by a domestic side from another country to play against the best Australian Twenty20 teams, even if that means lining up against New South Wales.

Dave Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket New South Wales, said Australian states would struggle to do the same and lure an international star like Kevin Pietersen. "You never say never, but with the commercial opportunities available to those guys these days, they don't get out of bed for less than probably £100,000, so it's going to be very difficult to lure them here," Gilbert said.

The rapidly evolving league creates an interesting challenge for state sides who will undoubtedly take the domestic Twenty20 tournament more seriously this season. "A lot has changed in the last couple of weeks," Gilbert said.

"Now it's on the world stage, and if you finish in the top two, you're guaranteed $250,000 for participating in the Champions League and potentially $2 million. It's extraordinary, when you've got a Pura Cup where the winning team gets $100,000.

"I suppose that's my concern - is it going to change the focus of our players in terms of the financial rewards? I just hope we get the balance right. Twenty20 has its place but we must not overdo it."