ECB dismisses Saudi-backed T20 league, citing packed schedule and player workload concerns.
\n London
\nThe England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed the possibility of a Saudi-funded global T20 league, citing the already packed international calendar and concerns over player workload.
\nAccording to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the proposed tournament, named the \u2018Grand Slam of Cricket,\u2019 would feature eight teams competing across four different locations annually. Saudi Arabia\u2019s sovereign wealth fund was set to back the venture financially.
\nHowever, ECB chief executive Richard Gould ruled out the idea, stating that the existing cricket structure leaves no room for such an event.
\n\u201cWith the busy international calendar, a host of established franchise leagues around the world, and existing concerns about player workloads, there is no scope or demand for such an idea,\u201d Gould told SMH on Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s not something that we would support.\u201d
\nThe ECB remains committed to its own franchise tournament, The Hundred, which recently secured a $1.27 billion financial boost through private investments.
\nThe Indian Premier League (IPL) remains the most dominant T20 franchise competition, while leagues in Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, the West Indies, and the UAE also have strong followings.
\nMeanwhile, the Australian Cricketers\u2019 Association (ACA) has expressed interest in Saudi Arabia\u2019s T20 proposal, citing potential financial and equity benefits for players.
\n\u201cThe ACA\u2019s early interest in exploring this concept is motivated by a desire to develop and normalize best-practice collective bargaining and an international gender-equity pay model for male and female cricketers,\u201d the players\u2019 union was quoted as saying in the report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ECB dismisses Saudi-backed T20 league, citing packed schedule and player workload concerns. London The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed the possibility of a Saudi-funded global T20 league, citing the already packed international calendar and concerns over player workload. According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, the proposed tournament, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-468101","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n