...has once again opened up the contentious debate of player availability and in particular club or county versus country. Morgan is one of a small number of Irish player professionally employed within the county system and his employer like any employer expects commitment and focus in return for a remuneration package. However, some Irish cricket fans think otherwise, and feel that irrespective of who pays the wages, these players should be at the beck and call of their country.
The debate is not new to Irish cricket and follows a similar dilemma that Niall O'Brien faced last year when employed by Kent. But surely it is unfair to the players to put them into the firing line? After all, the circumstances invite a conflict of interest not least because Ireland plays as a national team in a competition against county teams with professional players hired on ability rather than nationalistic qualifications. This anomaly has already produced the ridiculous situation of Ireland players Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan playing against Ireland in a recent Friend's Provident Trophy match and making significant contribution to the county team's easy win.
But we can't have it both ways and that's the point the critics fail to recognize when they criticize our best players for fulfilling their professional obligations supposedly at the expense of their country. Quite simply Ireland shouldn't be playing in this type of competition a national team or if they want to play in it to improve their standard against professional opposition, then they have to offer contracts to their better players and ensure they play for and not against Ireland. Of course, that's a tall order for a union struggling to come to terms with the financial demands of participating in international cricket. And that's the core of this debate as the players have become pawns in the bigger issue of where is Irish cricket going and is Irish cricket's best interests served by playing against fulltime professionals without our best players? Indeed is there an alternative given that national teams can only expect a level playing field playing against other national teams and really is there any justification for calling a national team by its name if you can qualify with four years residence?
The whole debate is a can of worms full of inconsistencies and anomalies that put players in impossible situations and allow website nobodies the opportunity to throw loyalty taunts at players that have given their all for their country but at the same time have to make a living in the real world.
But don't blame the players, blame the bizarre circumstances in which they are placed!
