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Former Black Caps fast bowler Shane Bond will miss out on a Canterbury cricket contract due to his commitments with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Canterbury have just one of their 12 full-time contracts still available. Bond was keen to play and the team were equally enthusiastic but unless the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) changes the rules, he will remain a free agent.
NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan told The Press he believed Bond would have to be available for every Wizards game in order to be eligible for a contract.
Canterbury Cricket Association chief executive Lee Germon today confirmed that stance.
"That's my understanding, that if a player is unable to confirm availability for the whole contractual period then we are not able to contract him," he told NZPA.
Bond is already committed to play in an IPL tournament at the time the Canterbury contracts take effect and said it was not yet clear how much more time he would be required to spend in India.
Germon said he had spoken regularly with Bond about what his plans were as speculation mounted about his spot on the team.
"He wants to play for Canterbury, which is great. And he wants to play as much as he can. The question mark was around how much of it would he be available for."
Bond said the upshot was it would give him the freedom to "pick and choose" what he wanted to do in New Zealand, but it was still a disappointment not to have a contract.
He said it grated somewhat that other players had been allowed to miss Black Caps matches while playing for the officially sanctioned Indian Premier League and still be offered NZC contracts.
"That's where there's still a bit of a discrepancy I suppose. But what can you do? That's what they decided."
Germon said once contracts had been settled talk would turn to organising Bond's availability on a match by match basis, the same as last year.
He said it had worked "as well as it can.
"It's the only way we're able to do it."
- NZPA
