Shane Bond: 'Once you sign up, you have to honour the contract. That's the way I do things. The ICL have been very nice to me and I intend to do the right thing by playing for them.'
Shane Bond, the New Zealand fast bowler, has expressed regret over the way his international career has come to a halt.
New Zealand Cricket banned Bond after he signed up with the Indian Cricket League but Bond told Cricinfo he sought the board's approval before he took up the offer and has a copy of the written permission.
"I have written permission from them, only then did I join ICL. It's sad that they turned around later," Bond, who is currently in India, said. "I could have gone to court - and I'm sure I would have won the case - but I feared the Indian board would jump in and force NZC to cough up money if I'd been allowed to play for New Zealand. I didn't want it to get that ugly and chose to let it go."
Asked whether he considered following the example of Mohammad Yousuf, who withdrew from his ICL contract and made himself available for the IPL, Bond demurred. "Once you sign up, you've got to honour the contract. That's the way I do things. The ICL have been very nice to me and I intend to do the right thing by playing for them."
Bond was also unsure of his status with the English county Hampshire, with whom he recently signed up. "My agent in New Zealand is looking after the issue. I really don't know what's happening there and whether I would be allowed to play."
Bond's decision to join the ICL prompted some to call him a traitor but he says he is grateful for the support he received from his New Zealand team-mates and the cricketing fraternity. "Everyone understands my position. I want to play for New Zealand but am not allowed to do so. And as I said, I had gone into this [ICL] with the permission of the board, so I don't feel like a traitor."
Bond found support from Michael Kasprowicz, the former Australian player, who will also be seen in action in the ICL. "New Zealand cricket will be the worst hit and it's sad that the player of Bond's calibre can't play for his country," Kasprowicz told Cricinfo. "I don't think banning players is the right way to go about it."
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