Five Cricketers Whose Careers Got Affected Due To The ICL

Indian Cricket League. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about the now-defunct T20 competition?

It was the year 2007. The Indian Cricket Team had just been knocked out of the 50-over World Cup when Zee owner Subhash Chandra and Kapil Dev kickstarted a T20 league named the ICL. The league reached out to international stars, luring them with hefty contracts.

In-fact the first edition of the tournament was played after India’s inaugural T20 World Cup win. The BCCI, who had already launched the IPL, were desperate to cash-in and so it forced all the member nations to ban players who had participated in the rebel ICL. The ban was eventually lifted but it left a telling impact on the careers of a lot of players.

Here’s a look at five cricketers whose careers’ got affected due to the ICL-

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Abdul Razzaq

The former Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was a crucial part of ODI in the late 90s and throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

Razzaq had a tumultuous 2007 where a knee injury forced out of the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean. Matters escalated when he was overlooked for the inaugural T20 World Cup.

Razzaq announced his retirement, only to retract back a few months later. He, however, joined the rebel ICL where he featured for Hyderabad Heroes.

Razzaq was immediately banned from international cricket and even though he made his comeback in 2009 where he played a crucial role in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup win, he could never cement a permanent place in the set-up and was soon discarded a few months later.

Justin Kemp

Having featured in 85 ODIs for the Proteas in which he racked up 1512 runs at an average of 31.5 and a strike-rate of 83.12, Justin Kemp was one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball.

The South African all-rounder had a disastrous 2007 50-over and T20 World Cup campaigns which resulted in him getting sacked from the set-up. Kemp soon joined the rebel ICL which proved to be a death-knell for his international career.

Kemp’s ban was lifted in 2009 and even though he featured for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2010 IPl, he could never force his way back into the South African squad.

Aftab Ahmed

Aftab Ahmed burst onto the scene as a precocious young talent when he stroked a whirlwind 79 against the Proteas in the 2002 U–19 World Cup. Aftab was soon handed a national call-up but his career took a tumultuous turn a few years later when he joined the rebel ICL.

Aftab was immediately banned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and even though he made a return to the national side, he could never cement his place in the set-up. The all-rounder played his last game for Bangladesh during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Imran Nazir

If wasting talent is an art then Pakistan and its players are its Picasso. Another glaring example of it is Imran Nazir. Nazir was a swashbuckling opener and was pipped to be the next batting great from Pakistan when he burst onto the scene in 1999.

When on song, Nazir was a sight to behold. He had almost every shot in the book. The former opener had a brilliant 2007 where he notched up his career-best 160 against Zimbabwe in the 50-over World Cup. He also played a few crucial knocks for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.

But just as it looked like Nazir is finally coming off age, he was lured by the glitz and glamour of the ICL. Nazir was banned by the PCB and even though his ban was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2009, he could never cement his place in the set-up that was brimming with young talents at the time.

Shane Bond

Pace, terrifying pace. Swing. Seam. Reverse-swing. Hostility. Relentlessness. Venom. Consistency. Shane Bond had all of these attributes to become an all-time great bowler but unfortunately, his participation in the rebel ICL coupled with his tryst with injuries meant he could never realize his true potential.

Bond’s numbers are outrageous. The New Zealander claimed 87 wickets in 18 Tests at an average of 22.09 and 147 scalps in 82 One-day Internationale at an average of 20.88.

Bond was one of the many marquee players who joined the rebel ICL. Like other players, he was banned by the New Zealand Cricket Board, and even though he made a return to the team post lifting of the ban, constant injuries meant he could never attain his full potential.

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