T20 events leave Lorgat disappointed
FORMER Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat has expressed his disappointment at the postponement of the Global T20 League after a hastily-arranged Cricket South Africa board teleconference yesterday morning.
Lorgat, who was released from his post two weeks ago after “a breakdown in the relationship between the CSA board and the CEO “, was the “driving force” behind the GL T20, especially due to the relationships he formulated with the franchise owners, of which seven of the eight are foreign.
However, CSA released a statement yesterday stating that “having discussed it with all our stakeholders including the franchise owners, we believe that the interest of the league should be our first priority. We have re-assessed our strategy and believe that postponing the first edition of the T20 Global League to next year will serve us well.”
It understood that delay in securing a stable broadcast deal and central rights sponsorship for the tournament were at the heart of the tournament’s postponement until November 2018.
When contacted by Independent Media yesterday, Lorgat, who was enjoying his new-found free time on the golf course, was shocked by the latest turn of events.
“This is all news to me,” Lorgat said. “But if what you’re saying is true, then that’s obviously very disappointing. It is disappointing for a lot of people … obviously there was a lot of hard work, time away from families and loved ones that went into getting this project off the ground and lots of people made plenty of sacrifices in trying to put on a great tournament for the cricket-loving people of South Africa.”
Lorgat was not willing to discuss the reasons for the postponement, citing that “when I was at CSA it used to irk me when people did not have all the facts and commented in the media about things they knew very little about, so I am not prepared to do the same now that I am no longer in the loop” before continuing that “it is just very disappointing”.
Independent Media understands that CSA were to have a meeting with its staff yesterday to discuss the events that have unfolded, especially as many of its staff members were set to be employed by the various franchises around the country.