Luke Wright

Why would he not re-sign with Sussex?

Since he came to Hove, he's won half a dozen trophies with the most successful side of the last decade. I assume he's paid  a competitive salary  (of the other 17 counties I'd guess only Surrey might conceivably offer him more). He's not in a Tredwell-like situation of having been insulted and disrespected by the club to which he has given his professional life. Everyone at Hove likes him hugely as a human being  and is full of boundless admiration for his skills as a cricketer. If there was a poll for the most popular player, I think Luke would win it hands down.

His wonderful form this season shows that he hasn't settled into some lazy comfort zone (which would be the only reason for him to seek a fresh challenge somewhere else). Sussex has been accommodating to a fault  over his desire to market himself around the  international T20 leagues. So why the hell would he even think of going somewhere else?

bm,

During the final home ‘London Royal Cup’ match against Glamorgan I sat next to a man who spent half an hour praising Wright
to the hilt. Luke had scored 127 in the first innings but Sussex were losing the game and Glamorgan eventually cruised to an
easy victory. The man was concerned.

“Won’t Luke want to play in a side that is competitive in OD matches,” he queried. “He wants to win silverware and I am sure
every top county in the land would have him in an instant.” He continued, “Can Sussex afford him? Can we compete with the
wealthier clubs and the offers that may come in after his contract ends next season?”

He has a point.

If Sussex are to pay Prior’s ex-central contract salary, can they then afford to pay Wright’s salary - a salary where I am sure
his agent will do his best to negotiate a bigger increase to his present one.

And why Sussex are wise. Give Wright a benefit next season. Use the same team that organised Yardy’s. Then offer Wright the
vice-captaincy with the promise of taking over from Joyce and we may have a good chance of keeping him. Meanwhile, Nash’s
pride may have to be sacrificed.

bm,

Alongside Joyce and Magoffin, re-signing Wright is a must if you wish to remain competitive, so I am in
agreement. 

Surely, money must be an issue though. Robinson said in a recent interview that Sussex had frozen player's
salaries for a number of years (?) If Wright's agent cannot gain a salary increase then a Benefit and promise
of future captaincy is essential to sweeten the pot. So, offering a contract extension this winter should be all
part of that plan to keep him.

For, given how well Wright played in all formats, not even reaching an OD QF must have been disappointing
for him. At times, he played like a one-man show.

Much though I like Wright's play, his enthusiasm and his genuine, friendly nature, this whole conversation only serves to show up what a completely hypocritical sham this whole system of benefits is, and how inappropriate is has become in recent years.

Tax-free benefits became a popular and usually lucrative reward for long-serving players in the years between the First and Second world wars. Wages were low, and in many cases were only paid for the summer months, leaving players with the need to find some other line of work to sustain them through the winter. There were no formal pension schemes and often it was the propsect of this windfall in their mid-thirties, large enough perhaps to buy a pub tenancy or a market garden, that kept many players in the game. The tax-free status was vitally important and remains so today: the Inland Revenue lost a celebrated court case in the 20s which concluded that benefits were freely offered by clubs, were not necessarily triggered by a particular length of tenure, and were in no way to be regarded as an element of the player's contract of employment.

Of course most of that was wilfully ignored and the blind eye that was turned went with the assumption that 10 years capped service for one county would normally reap the reward. Now we have a system with much greater mobility, with few players staying more than 5-6 years or so with one county, seeing no reason to cultivate loyalty when a plunge into Divison Two might harm their international prospects and reduce their attractiveness to another employer. Wage levels are much higher; private pension schemes abound; players seldom carry on much longer than 34 or 35, reasoning that they'd rather get out into another profession whilst still young and fit enough to do so.

Traditionalists might regret it, and it is not a reflection on the personal popularity of Luke Wright, but the Benefits system is completely archaic, and if employed as s and f suggests, as a means for circumventing salary caps and attempting to retain a player through offering an inducement in addition to salary, it will almost certainly become prey for the Inland Revenue to mount a successful case to overtain the 1920s judgement. Probably that will happen one day soon, and that will bring an end to this charming, but rather paternalistic relic of the master and servant days. Maybe when it does we will see a return to a more spontaneous way of the public showing appreciation for a favourite by some sort of crowdfunding initiative on social media, replacing the "public subscription"?

If we feel we are hamstrung by contractual obligations, then we may have to go over budget and rebalance next year when the situation will ease

Luke's maturity grows as he shuns the potential riches of the IPL next year. He wishes to start
the new season for Sussex from the off. Nothing would be worse than injuring himself whilst
playing in India and then returning to the county unable to play... in his 'Benefit Year'.

Meanwhile, Luke is due to play alongside Kevin Pietersen for the 'Melbourne Stars' in the earlier
Big Bash tournament this winter and before that featuring for Auckland Aces in “six or seven”
Twenty20 matches in the Kiwi 'HRV' competition.

www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11557647.Wright_to_shun_Indian_riches/?ref=eb