Sydney, Nov.23 (ANI): Noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has said that Australia’s best young cricketers ought to think long and hard before rushing to join the Indian Premier League (IPL) because of its big money lure.

“Naturally it is tempting go for the quick buck, or rather a quick million. Cricket is a blue-collar game hereabouts, and lots of the younger fellows are battlers. Sign on the dotted line, and overnight they can buy a house or a fancy car. Most of them, too, have agents whose only source of income is to obtain IPL contracts or lucrative sponsorship deals for their charges. Unsurprisingly, the youngsters are agog at the idea of mixing with the giants of the game. They can leap from grade cricket to batting with Sachin Tendulkar. Of course it is tempting,” Roebuck writes in a syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

He says that these youngsters should pay heed to the fact that numerous IPL players have returned with dreadful injuries, rotten form or soft brains.

“Playing a few 20-over games might not seem much of a commitment, but bad habits can easily set in. It’s only possible to attend so many parties and emerge intact. A lot of damage can be done in that period,” he warns

“IPL suits older players on the way out and neglected cricketers anxious to make a mark and a dollar,” he added.

He also said that while the IPL was an attractive option, Australia has a structure that provides young cricketers with a superb training ground.

“The learning process works as tyros are exposed to battle-hardened warriors. Clubs understand, too, that they are part of a pyramid. Gifted players can quickly work their way through the ranks. Before long the entire community is talking about them, and soon the next stage of the maturing begins. In some cases, it takes months; in others, years,” he said.

“Australia’s system works better than any rival. Indeed it is the envy of the cricketing world. Thanks to it, Australia remains competitive even when the supply of great players runs out. The base line is higher than anywhere else,” he said. (ANI)