Cricket SA still stuck in pavilion over T20 Global League offer
Cricket SA’s administrators may have missed their own end-ofMarch deadline for finalising a strategy for the moribund T20 Global League, but it can still be salvaged — just. The new deadline is the end of April.
An offer to purchase a majority share and run the league was made to Cricket SA more than six weeks ago and although communication has been a little thin and negotiations are yet to begin, it is surely just a matter of time before they do.
Otherwise there can be no way of knowing how feasible or suitable the proposal is.
A consortium backed by a multinational sports fund based in the Far East has made an offer, sources say. It is understood to be dealing in the sort of numbers quoted in the tournament’s original blueprint — more than $20m per year.
The offer for a multiyear, multimillion arrangement was made that would have been beneficial to the two important stakeholders: Cricket SA and franchisee owners. Precise details of the relationship were contained in the offer.
“It is a very exciting proposition for Cricket SA,” an informed source told Business Day at the weekend.
“A match in SA at 6.30pm provides a prime-time television window into the markets of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UK and many other regions with an audience of billions,” the source said.
“Even when the IPL came to SA in 2009, crowds thronged to watch the match at all the stadiums,” the source said.
“The bidders believe that the South African league is the only one with potential to rival the IPL. It did not take long to come up with a proposal and they were keen to start interactions and discussions with Cricket SA, whereas Cricket SA has been slow in its response,” the source said.
In 2010, a few years into the IPL, it was widely accepted that the future of the domestic and international games would be built around strong domestic T20 leagues and that those countries that lacked one would struggle for finance and relevance. The subsequent establishment, rise and continued success of the Big Bash, the Caribbean Premier League and the Pakistan Super League have confirmed that prediction. Even the likes of Afghanistan have floated and launched a T20 league.
The Global League was felt to be a few years later than it should have been but at least Cricket SA was catching up and the response of franchise owners, notably from existing owners within the IPL and the Pakistan Super League who bought five of the eight South African teams, indicated the global interest and value of the property.
The inaugural player draft promised to transform the futures of most of SA’s players, providing them with a strong incentive to stay in the country and compete for the chance to play in a global window with the opportunity to showcase their talents and perhaps even earn contracts in other leagues.
It may be too late to resurrect the Global League. The damage done to its reputation by the 12-month “postponement” may be irreparable. The scheduling window remains open in November, but unless something meaningful is placed in the space it is a window through which enough debt will pour to slowly sink the whole ship. Is it too late?
“They even have had discussions with possible sponsors for the league around the $5m-per-year range. To use a cricketing metaphor, they were padded up and ready to bat and Cricket SA hasn’t emerged out of the pavilion.
“It takes a minimum of eight to nine months to set up something as big as this to get everything right and ensure there is no cutting of corners and put out an exciting and viable product.”
SA has much “big event” expertise and there is no shortage of Asian and subcontinental market expertise in the rest of the world.
The Global League could still be held, but it would require even greater determination than was shown by so many this time a year ago. It would require genuine leadership from Cricket SA’s top brass. Not the type of leadership that comes with titles and seats on committees, but the type that has the humility to seek advice, delegate to the more suitably skilled and make brave decisions that are in the best, long-term interests of the majority. The time for doing nothing is over.