SA cricket goes global as world awaits T20 announcement

TODAY is a big day in South African cricket.

Today is the day that will reveal much, as the T20 Global League finally puts its cards on the table.

Today the owners of the eight franchise teams will be announced, and things will start to take shape.

The setting for this big reveal is intriguing in itself, as Cricket South Africa (CSA) have opted to take the show to London.

Not Johannesburg, under the Sandton lights. Not under the mountain in Cape Town.

There are many possible reasons for choosing this centre of the world for this event, one of them being that most of the cricketing world’s media just happens to be in town.

The other reason may well be that most of the mooted owners find the commute from Dubai, India and wherever else they hail from a bit easier.

It’s a new dawn, and one that has been met with quiet intrigue in most press boxes.

T20 cricket has become the biggest money spinner in the sport, and lives and careers have been changed by its presence.

South Africa, naturally, wants a piece of this cake. CSA has been slower on the uptake than most, but later is better than never. In the cricketing world, there is still a place for South Africa to position itself at the end of the year, and squeeze in alongside Australia’s Big Bash and try its luck.

It will be fascinating to see just who has bought into this new venture – and there are rumours that a significant chunk of interest is from India.

That makes sense, with the likes of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ owners liking the thought of having franchises around the world, and calling the world’s biggest names their employees.

In this world, there are men willing to pay considerably for the privilege of having an AB de Villiers, or a Kagiso Rabada on the payroll.

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It promises to be an intriguing day, and the marquee players, the likes of Brendon McCullum, Kevin Pietersen, and the Proteas’ stars will be there, too, ushering in a new era for South African cricket.

The world will watch on, as the T20 landscape changes once more.

These are interesting times but, as the ICC Champions Trophy – won yesterday by Pakistan – has shown, a tournament done right always finds favour with the masses.