ICC to tighten sanctions on leagues
Disheartened Rehman retires from int’l cricket
DUBAI, Oct 10, (AFP): World cricket’s governing body will discuss ways to tighten up how various Twenty20 and T10 leagues are sanctioned in the future when it meets next week, a top official said Wednesday.
Since the inception of a lucrative Indian Premier League, many ICC member countries have launched their own leagues in what is seen by some as a threat to five-day Test cricket and international cricket fixtures.
The latest format showcased 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), said the matter would be discussed at the body’s board 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 told media.
“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, after the Indian sponsors of the event were investigated back home over wrongdoings.
“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, a former first class cricketer from Australia.
“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.”
Allardice, however, was adamant that players were not snubbing Test cricket, saying: “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.”
Allardice added that leagues should be good for players.
“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.”
Also: LAHORE, Pakistan:
Former Pakistan left-arm spinner
who along with teammate Saeed Ajmal famously stunned
during a 3-0 defeat in 2012, announced his retirement from international cricket Wednesday.
The 38-year-old took 19 wickets and Ajmal finished with 24 when Pakistan whitewashed the thenworld number one Test team in
six years ago in one of the finest performances of his career.
However Rehman said he was disheartened as of late after being ignored by national selectors.
“I am announcing retirement from international cricket with a heavy heart,” Rehman told media in Lahore. “It was a tough decision but I have decided to call it a day.”
A wily spinner Rehman finished his 22 Test career just one short of a deserved hundred wicket mark, while he took 30 in 31 one-days and eight wickets in 11 Twenty20 internationals.
Rehman
His last Test was in in 2014 before the selectors began picking younger players in his place to form a new team.
Rehman said dismantling the English batsmen in 2012 was his most memorable moment as a professional.
“The partnership with Saeed was really great and I can’t ever forget that England series when we clean swept them,” said Rehman.
“I played in World Cups, in T20s so am very grateful I managed all that,” said Rehman, who will continue playing first-class cricket in Pakistan.
“I’m sad I couldn’t get that 100th wicket, that would’ve really been something, but I’m still grateful for 99 wickets in 22 Tests. Very few leftarm spinners have that,” he added.
Rehman’s reputation was also briefly hit by a 12-week ban after failing a drugs test during a stint with Somerset just a few months after his brilliant bowling against England in 2012.