Brendon McCullum discusses Jofra Archer’s multimillion-pound contract, stating, “The game is taking a different turn.”

The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will take place on Friday, May 12, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Rohit Sharma-captained team is currently in fourth place on the IPL 2023 points table, behind the Titans. The five-time IPL champions reportedly promised the English fast bowler Jofra Archer a multimillion-pound, one-year contract. Notably, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would need consent from the franchise to select him for England’s international matches if the deal goes through.

Now that Archer has reportedly been offered a one-year contract by MI, Brendon McCullum, the head coach of the England men’s Test team, believes the game is evolving in a different direction. He stated that there has been a minor shift in the perception of international cricket over the past few years. He added that it would be incredibly naive for England to assume that players would refuse enormous sums of money on long-term contracts to play in T20 leagues.

“The game is ultimately moving in a different direction. In recent years, there has been a slight shift in the sand surrounding international cricket, and it would be naive to believe that players would turn down huge sums of money on long-term contracts for much less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket. These days are quickly coming to an end, Brendon McCullum stated on the SENZ Breakfast program.

A former New Zealand captain believes that comparable franchise contracts will jeopardize international cricket. In addition, he stated that the national team would need to find a replacement player if the players chose not to participate in international competitions. Everyone desires to watch the best athletes in the world compete for their national teams, he added.