Monday, June 10, 2002 Only a week ago, we read with salacious delight the details of the sex-allowance to various football teams in Korea and Japan. The Danes and the French had it on tap, the Italians would earn it only after they got through the second round, the Turkish only if they reached the quarter-finals, and the Brazilians aren't going to get any at all. In football, of course, nobody squeaks a word of protest: the game is used to authoritarianism and by all accounts is better off for it.

But it was big news when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (read Jagmohan Dalmiya) persuaded (one version has it that threat of non-selection had to be held out) six Indian cricketers against undertaking a jaunt to South Africa to shoot for a television commercial. The players - Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Ajay Ratra – were well within their rights to use their spare time as they thought fit, but Dalmiya should be applauded for doing the right thing. Cricket might not need the dictatorial approach of football, but as it gets increasingly competitive and remunerative, it can't be run with the laissez-faire of the past.

Cricketers can hardly expect to reap the benefits of a professional sport and act as if they were only semi-professionals. They should not complain about playing too much cricket while using every bit of free time to squeeze in shoots for commercials, unless it can be proven that the strobe light is indeed of therapeutic value. Most of these cricketers had only returned from a two-month tour of the West Indies, and were about to undertake a near-three-month tour of England. The 12-day break was well earned, to recuperate and recharge, not to jet across to another hemisphere to prance around in front of the camera. That the board president needed to drill this into their heads is a reflection of the priorities of the Indian cricketer.

As Sanjay Manjrekar points out in his column in the June issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, the Indian cricketer rarely feels defeated by his team's failure. The team's fortunes are almost inconsequential to his stardom: win or lose, he is feted unreservedly by adoring fans back home and his commercial value remains undiminished in a land short of genuine heroes. He has little time to reflect on his failings, get himself primed for the next tour, or acquaint himself with the history of the game. For him, the time between two series is a commercial break, to be used profitably.

It was not so long ago that touring Indian cricketers lined up for dinner invitations at the homes of non-resident Indians and relied on the largesse of equipment- and bat-manufacturers because their fees and allowances wouldn't cover three decent meals and proper cricket bats. The modern cricketer carries a tariff for dinner appearances and gracing social functions. Not that you can fault him for that: the life of a professional cricketer stretches, at best, to 15 years, and he is entitled to maximise his earnings. But as a professional sportsman, he is duty-bound to recognise his responsibilities and accountability.

Dalmiya's intervention in preventing the Indian cricketers from flying out to South Africa is only a small step. It is up to him to ensure that when such an occasion arises next time, he will not need to use his powers of persuasion, but his right to command. Cricket is no longer a seasonal pastime, but a fulltime vocation. It is time to remove the last trace of amateurism from the game and to turn the relationship between the cricket board and the player into an employer-employee one. Annual contracts are not new to cricket: Australia, England and South Africa have used the system effectively and successfully. There is no reason why India, the most commercial of cricketing nations, should shy away from it. A contract system shouldn't put a blanket ban on endorsements, but it must first protect the interests of Indian cricket. The gap between series is no longer spare time, but paid leave.

Sambit Bal is editor of Wisden.com India and Wisden Asia Cricket magazine.

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