SA T20 flop may mean ECB have missed the bus
The editor of Cricket Statistician analyses recent events
The postponement, with a substantial financial loss, of the South African Global League, the latest and one of the most expensive T20 franchised leagues, ought to send a warning to others (and by that, specifically, the ECB’s proposed franchised T20).
It looks, economically speaking, something like the beginnings of the bursting of a bubble. Like the dot.com crisis, perhaps, some are strong enough to survive but others will not be, and the magic ingredient is what the TV companies will pay.
The IPL, the original story here, is strong, in a country where cricket is unequivocally the No.1 sport and India looks like the world leader. And, too, there are plenty of large cities happy to host the franchises. The Big Bash League is strong, because cricket is still important in Australia, with the added bonus of the Women’s BBL alongside it.
The Caribbean PL might make it, especially if it can create some enthusiasm in the rest of the area, especially the USA.West Indies T20 cricket remains strong, but a history of mismanagement has damaged the image of West Indian cricket and reduced performance in other formats, while many of the venues may lack the hinterland to fill grounds.
Bangladesh got off the ground quickly, but the BPL has been beset by scandals (rumours of match fixing and of failure to pay players). Bangladesh remains a cricket-mad country but is poor, and the BPL will have to settle – at best – for modest regional success.
Nobody else, for the time being at least, is going to run a league that is a major contender. That, I suspect, includes the ECB. It is going to take a lot to lure the wandering stars of the T20 galaxy, many of them already having to scale back their commitments somewhere, to just one more T20 league, especially if they continue to play more traditional formats as well.
England has no seriously large stadia suitable for cricket, and the idea risks alienating – perhaps has already alienated – those counties deemed outside the magic circle. The English season is already looking desperately crowded, and the rearrangements necessary to give the new league a space without significant competition will make that much worse.
What will it give back to the counties? Some more money, if it is successful. More people watching county cricket when it has been effectively declared second-rate and boring by the people who run cricket in this country? Not likely. More media exposure when it has something more dazzling to compete against? I think not.
I would have said – five years ago – that a franchised T20 league in this country would work. Now I think the ECB has missed the bus.