ICC looks to tighten screws on Twenty20 and T10 leagues

The prospect of earning huge bucks in a short span of time has forced players to be more inclined towards the shortest format.

ICC will discuss ways to tighten up how various Twenty20 and T10 leagues are sanctioned | Getty

International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to discuss the ways to issue sanctions against the Twenty20 and T10 leagues in the future, a top official stated on Wednesday.

The growth of Twenty20 cricket all across the globe has seen a lot of players becoming freelancers. The prospect of earning huge bucks in a short span of time has forced players to be more inclined towards the shortest format. No wonder, the Test match skills are diminishing and teams are consistently getting whitewashed on away tours.

The latest format that was introduced in the game is the ICC-sanctioned T10 (10-over-a-side) league held in Sharjah last year.

Geoff Allardice, general manager of cricket for the International Cricket Council (ICC), revealed that the matter would be discussed at the governing body’s meeting in Singapore on October 20.

“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),” Allardice quoted as saying by PTI.

“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,” he further added.

The Masters Cricket League (involving retired and semi-retired players) held in UAE faced some serious obstacles after its inaugural and only edition in 2016, with no payments to players.

“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,” said Allardice.

“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,” he continued.

Allardice, however, was persistent with his remarks that the modern day players want to play Test cricket.

“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,” Allardice concluded.

(With PTI inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 11 Oct, 2018

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