Chris Lynn’s suggestion that Cricket Australia charter a flight home for Aussie players in the Indian Premier League was “very rich”, former Australian captain Mark Taylor says.
Lynn, a Mumbai Indians player, made the query on the basis that Cricket Australia takes a percentage of its cricketers’ IPL earnings.
“I texted back that as Cricket Australia make 10 per cent of every IPL contract, was there a chance we could spend that money this year on a charter flight once the tournament is over?” Lynn told News Corp, with India struggling against a disastrous rise in COVID-19 cases.
Lynn is on a $408,000 IPL contract. Taylor was unimpressed by his remarks.
“I think Chris Lynn’s comments were very rich, absolutely,” Taylor said on Sports Sunday.
“The 10 per cent Cricket Australia does receive from a player’s contract over there surely has got something to do with actually providing the cricketer with some coaching, education along the way to become an IPL-worthy cricketer. I think his comments there are quite rich.”
Aussie paceman Andrew Tye returned home from the IPL, while Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson attempted to return but did not beat Australia’s travel ban.
Taylor said that most Australian IPL participants seemed content to continue in the tournament. Participants are operating in a tight biosecurity bubble and are providing some welcome distraction to a nation overwhelmed by a lethal second wave of COVID-19.
“I’ve got to say, I was a little surprised that so many of the Australians went over there,” Taylor said.
“Now if you’re Pat Cummins, he’s on something around ($3 million), so that’s very hard to knock back for six weeks of playing cricket.
“Steve Smith was an interesting one to me because I believe his contract was about $350,000, which is not to be sneezed at but for a guy like Steve Smith, it’s not as big a contract as it probably should have been. I was surprised he decided to go.
“But these players … [Ricky] Ponting is over there, a former player, [Dave] Warner, Brett Lee’s over there. Good mates of mine, Brad Haddin, Trevor Bayliss are coaching over there.
“I haven’t heard much from them apart from that, they’re there to see [out] the end of the tournament.
“A lot of the players have actually said that they feel comfortable in the bubble that they’re in; but what they would like once the tournament’s over … I think the Australian players and coaches that are over there are hoping that they’ll get home ASAP. That is what they’re after at this stage.”
Fellow Sports Sunday panellist Peter FitzSimons, a former Wallaby, took issue with that scenario if it involved any high-profile cricketers queue jumping.
“There’s no reason they should come to the front of the queue of the 9000. If there’s 9000 Australians all trying to get back, you’re not saying that they should be up the front in business class, are you?” FitzSimons said.
Taylor responded: “I know some of them very well and they’re mates of mine. I’d like to see them get home, absolutely no doubt about that…
FitzSimons interjected: “Oh, oh, you should have told us! They’re mates of yours! I’m sorry, look, customs – no, look, they’re mates of Mark Taylor. Let them up the front in business and first class, and the others can get slops up the back, I want filet mignon for them up the front. Yeah, beauty.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!