DUBAI: The International Cricket Council will be conducting a meeting in Singapore on 20 October to figure out ways which will result in making it harder for T20 and T10 leagues around the world to get approval, a top ICC official has said.
Since its launch in 2008, the IPL’s success has resulted in other cricketing nations and private investors starting their own leagues, which have caused a massive upheaval in the game. The threat of Test cricket and other international matches becoming redundant looms large.
“One of the things we will be talking about in our meeting next week is around regulations and sanctioning of events and also the release of players (for leagues),” ICC general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice said at a media briefing here Wednesday.
“So you look at all of the documentation and the ownership structures and how the league is going to be funded and all these types of things and then you provide approval.
“It’s not just going to be an open door for any promoter to come in. I think it will be a bit harder to get sanctions in the future and any tournament would need both the support of the home country and the ICC.”
The Masters Cricket League (involving retired and semi-retired players) held in United Arab Emirates (UAE) hit a snag after its first and only edition in 2016, with non payments to players.
The Pakistan Cricket Board also raised reservations over the T10 league, the second edition of which will start next month in Sharjah, as the authenticity of Indian sponsors backing the competition has been questioned.
“So the future success of a league is in jeopardy. The other thing is if we get reports that that sort of things happen then the likelihood of sanctioning the second edition of a league is significantly reduced,” Allardice added.
“I think perhaps the hurdles to jump for a promoter to put on a T20 league are going to be a bit higher and that the vetting process by both the host country and by the ICC would be enhanced.”
However, the general manager is confident that the leagues will not affect Test cricket in a negative way and are a great opportunity to take the game global.
“The one thing about Test cricket is that players want to play Test cricket. Some of those players (preferring leagues) aren’t regular Test cricketers at the time they make their decisions.
“It’s a balance because the leagues can be a good vehicle for promoting cricket in new countries: there was a tournament in Canada not so long ago. That gave some cricket fans the chance to see some elite cricketers. It could be a good step but the league has also got to be good for the game.” he signed off.
