The Indian Twenty20 circus could pit New Zealand against a troupe of clowns when they visit Bangladesh, but the prospect of more on-field humiliation for Bangladesh is the least of the International Cricket Council’s worries.

The loss of 13 Bangladesh players to a ‘rebel’ league might seem a small crack in the cricket world given the country’s struggles to field a competitive side, but its impact is closer to that of a fault-line suddenly opening up in the middle of Lord’s.

We’re not talking about the Indian Premier League (ICL) stealing the odd high-profile player - most notably Shane Bond - but a country.

"I suppose, without wanting to speak for the ICL, it shows where their model is heading," said Justin Vaughan, who dealt with the threat of the ICL signing New Zealand players including Bond, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris in his first year as New Zealand Cricket chief executive.

He’s not willing to concede the ICL is here to stay.

"It does feel as if they’re slightly confused. They’ve made a lot of noises also around youth development and academy structures but this [the Bangladesh raid] obviously indicates they see themselves as broader than India."