League has ECB in a spin

Ken Borland

Cricket South Africa’s new Global T20 League will be hogging the limelight in London on Monday and it has the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a tizz.

The eight franchise owners will be announced on Monday, with the marquee players present, but what promises to be a glittering event has had to be moved from its original venue at Lord’s, long considered the home of cricket.

That’s because CSA have beaten the ECB when it comes to unveiling a new, international T20 competition. South Africa’s extravaganza will be up and running in November, while England’s attempt to rival the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash with a city-based tournament is only expected to start in 2020.

So the ECB have apparently put pressure on Lord’s to cancel their hosting of the function, which will now be held at the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge. The ECB have also refused to allow Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy, the two contracted English players among the eight international marquee stars signed for the Global T20 League, to attend the announcement of the team owners.

The speed with which CSA have filled a gap in the market is frustrating for the ECB, who have to change their constitution and undo over a century of tradition to allow a competition based on cities rather than counties.

By the time England’s new T20 league starts, the IPL will be 13 years old, the Big Bash nine and the Global T20 League will be in its fourth year.

Indian conglomerates have apparently jumped at the chance to own some of the South African franchises, while there has also been Pakistani interest, but local investment has reportedly been slow to arrive.