Dwanye Bravo and Kieron Pollard turned down one-year contracts from the WICB. The reason is simple: money.

The WICB wants its central contracted players to be available for all international matches. The sum they are offering for this is 80.000 dollars.

Not bad, you might say, but both Bravo and Pollard make about ten times that money playing just a couple of weeks in the IPL.

Which leaves them with enough time on their hands to make appearances for various teams in domestic Twenty20-leagues all over the world. And getting paid plenty for doing so.

This doesn’t sit well with many cricket fans, who claim they have no national or professional pride, but I think Bravo and Pollard can’t be blamed.

Have they no national pride? Rubbish, they play for Trinidad & Tobago, their home country. West Indies is not a country in any sense, or sport, except in cricket.

And what about excelling at the highest level, Test matches, and being the best player you can be? Well, Bravo and Pollard didn’t say they don’t want to play Test matches for the West Indies, now did they?

And besides, not everybody – Chris Gayle, their Test captain, to name just one – agrees Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game.

So what do I think of their move? Not much really. Bravo and Pollard are just willing to take a bet on their international careers in return for a lot of money. A safe bet.

The WICB is still going to select them, because there are no real alternatives available. Bravo and Pollard know that too.

They will play for West Indies when its suits them and not when they have better-paying jobs lined up.

And in the unlikely scenario they won’t get selected anymore, there is the comforting knowledge of having enough money in the bank to last them a lifetime.

Doing what you like best and getting paid millions; I must admit I’m a bit envious.