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Ponting, who is among a group of Australians currently negotiating to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), fears players may turn their backs on their national teams if they were prevented from joining the IPL.
"I think there are some dangers there to tell you the truth," Ponting told a news conference in Perth on Thursday.
"If a guy is approaching the end of his international career anyway, being able to play 44 days and stay in one form of the game, I'm sure is very attractive. Particularly if they have families and they are getting a bit sick and tired of the travel you do with international cricket, I am sure that is appealing to some."
The IPL has been officially endorsed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) but players cannot compete in the tournament if it clashes with their national duties.
Cricket Australia officials have indicated they would support a proposal to create a separate time slot for the tournament so there would be no clashes. Ponting agrees.
"There are some programming issues the ICC and the boards are going to have to look at, maybe carving out a window each year where this tournament can sit in," he said.
"The danger for me is the IPL one, when unless some time is given up then we might start losing the 33, 34-year-old players from international cricket."
REBEL LEAGUE
International cricket has already been hit by a series of high-profile retirements in the past month involving players who have signed with the IPL or the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Australia have warned their players not to sign with the ICL, saying it would threaten their chances of re-selection for the national side.
"Selectors will treat players who take part only in ICC-approved matches (the IPL) more favourably than those who do not," Cricket Australia said in a statement.
CA are also refusing to agree to let their players join the IPL because of a contractual row over sponsorship but chief executive James Sutherland said there was still some chance of a resolution before Sunday's deadline.
"We have always said we want to see IPL succeed, but on the basis that it does not compromise ICC Future Tours Program or ICC Events cricket," he said.
"There is a lot of detail involved in aligning existing contractual obligations with those of this new Indian domestic competition. But we are approaching this with an open mind on trying to resolve the issue in a manner which allows IPL to go ahead with Australian player participation, when available."
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RatingCricket players are entertainers in another medium. Let them earn what they are worth.
The IPL business is bound to fail like ICL, because Indians are not interested in any cricket other than when two national teams play. Such type of club or regional teams playing will not attract much spectators. After failure of similar concept, ICL is now making teams as per nationality like Indian, pakistani etc. and recruiting a lot of pakistani palyers for that. IPL and Lalit Modi will also understand this after failure.
Why Ponting has to fear when he himself is lured by IPL and fighting C.A. over the same. Of course, it is the right of every individual to choose what he wants. Ponting is shedding crocodile tears while Gilly is forthright in saying that IPL will not damage World cricket. 4-6 weeks of a year will not break international schedule, but will ensure a far better life for the players.
In 1950s or so when John Foster Dulles was the Secretary of State for USA he had said "India is a bottomless pit. No amount of money will be enough. It will have a begging bowl forever" or something to this effect. I am sure he will be turning in his grave hearing sportsmen, business men and politcician are now turning and flocking to India to make money for themselves or for their country!
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