Ryan Higgins Turned Down Zimbabwe Approach

[ZIMDOGGY]

Credit where it’s due though,
This is the sort of move ZC should be making.
I hope it is part of a strategy and not just Dave going rogue or something
At least they have put the seed in his mind. Let the idea grow.

We have enough players overseas that can make a difference if we get a few back.
Cartwright should be next.

[Pat_Bee]

Ya, absolutely credit where it’s due. I thought the whole Ballance fiasco would have stung them and put them off from raiding the diaspora.

It kind of makes sense to be fair; he might be a little better than Evans or Faraz, who I’d say are the guys he’d be competing with for a place.

Curious he mentioned he’d have to play as an overseas player if he took ZC up on their offer. What’s the deal there? Is he basically saying he can get a county gig as an Englishman but doesn’t back his own ability to get a gig as an overseas player? Middlesex don’t seem to have one this season anyway so I can’t see the issue.

[ZIMDOGGY]

Ya, absolutely credit where it’s due. I thought the whole Ballance fiasco would have stung them and put them off from raiding the diaspora.

It kind of makes sense to be fair; he might be a little better than Evans or Faraz, who I’d say are the guys he’d be competing with for a place.

Curious he mentioned he’d have to play as an overseas player if he took ZC up on their offer. What’s the deal there? Is he basically saying he can get a county gig as an Englishman but doesn’t back his own ability to get a gig as an overseas player? Middlesex don’t seem to have one this season anyway so I can’t see the issue.

Yeah if you are not a pom you have to occupy only two spots, but they would go to an Aussie or something
Rules changed after Brexit, before that May idiot could get a kolpak but they would have to give up playing for Zim

[secretzimbo]

He's probably on comfortably £100k/yr at Middlesex plus I think he has played the Hundred the last few years so whatever he gets for that as well. Likely that he has a good enough record to get a county deal basically for the rest of his career. That's a nice amount of financial security. He said in the article he's got a young family settled in the UK too.

Big ask to give all that up for a probably fairly short-term ZC contract in famously volatile Zimbabwe Cricket and Zimbabwe the country. It'd make him ineligible to ever play county cricket as a 'local' ever again and basically if shit hit the fan here either for him personally or for ZC as a whole then he'd have nothing.

He's not someone who left Zim as a young adult for cricket opportunities. As he says in the article, he was a young boy when he left and he will remember probably how bad that whole period was and for his parents to leave.

It's not easy to convince a guy like that to come back. He sounds very settled.

[Pat_Bee]

Ya, absolutely credit where it’s due. I thought the whole Ballance fiasco would have stung them and put them off from raiding the diaspora.

It kind of makes sense to be fair; he might be a little better than Evans or Faraz, who I’d say are the guys he’d be competing with for a place.

Curious he mentioned he’d have to play as an overseas player if he took ZC up on their offer. What’s the deal there? Is he basically saying he can get a county gig as an Englishman but doesn’t back his own ability to get a gig as an overseas player? Middlesex don’t seem to have one this season anyway so I can’t see the issue.

Yeah if you are not a pom you have to occupy only two spots, but they would go to an Aussie or something
Rules changed after Brexit, before that May idiot could get a kolpak but they would have to give up playing for Zim

Yeah I was curious from his personal perspective I guess. Middlesex obviously rate him enough to give him a contract and don’t have any overseas players this season so it didn’t hold as much weight as his other reasons for me ya totally they’d go for a better overseas guy like an Aussie or something if they were in the market for one.

[Pat_Bee]

He’s the kind of middle of the road player you’d pick as a pom but isn’t outstanding enough to get an overseas slot I guess.

[secretzimbo]

Middlesex I believe have been banned from signing overseas players this year. Some sort of financial special measures imposed by the ECB as they are in so much debt.

[Pat_Bee]

Ya, that makes sense tbh. Did seem odd they don’t have any

[Googly]

He's probably on comfortably £100k/yr at Middlesex plus I think he has played the Hundred the last few years so whatever he gets for that as well. Likely that he has a good enough record to get a county deal basically for the rest of his career. That's a nice amount of financial security. He said in the article he's got a young family settled in the UK too.

Big ask to give all that up for a probably fairly short-term ZC contract in famously volatile Zimbabwe Cricket and Zimbabwe the country. It'd make him ineligible to ever play county cricket as a 'local' ever again and basically if shit hit the fan here either for him personally or for ZC as a whole then he'd have nothing.

He's not someone who left Zim as a young adult for cricket opportunities. As he says in the article, he was a young boy when he left and he will remember probably how bad that whole period was and for his parents to leave.

It's not easy to convince a guy like that to come back. He sounds very settled.

I reckon he'll be on 8k a month and tax eats a chunk of that.
Decent money for the Hundred but again tax takes half.
I'd be wanting to bring my kids up in Zim but he probably has no idea what it's like here and whilst he might fit in his wife won't.

He absolutely wouldn't be the best player here. Not even close. He's a journeyman good pro. Ballance was/is way better by comparison.

[Pat_Bee]

The taxman will be taking 40% off him, maybe 45% with that hundred gig that’s criminal.