PCB searches for suitable window to fit in T10 league

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket authorities are open to the idea of launching a ten-over version of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) later this year but are finding it tough to underline a suitable window for the venture because of a packed international schedule.

Najam Sethi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, told ‘The News’ in an interview that the Board is seriously mulling the option of staging a T10 league after the franchise owners of the PSL expressed a keen interest in the proposed enterprise.

“We discussed this idea in Dubai (during PSL matches) and it was clear that the franchise owners wanted a T10 league in Pakistan. We have agreed in principle to consider this option,” Sethi said.

However, he said that so far the Board is yet to find a suitable window for the proposed T10 league.

“We have quite a packed international schedule this year,” he said. “We play the West Indies at home after the PSL and then the team will be touring Ireland, England and Scotland in May-June. This will be followed by home series against New Zealand and Australia before we tour South Africa. In between, we are also supposed to fulfil our commitment with the West Indian board to play a tri-series in the US.

“That’s why finding a window that will suit all is pretty tough,” he added.

But finding a window for a T10 tournament which won’t span over more than a week shouldn’t be a stumbling block for the Board.

Pakistan do have a few spare weeks in August and September when the only problem could be hot weather. The Board will most likely be hosting matches of the T10 league in Karachi and Lahore.

The other issue was that there were fears that a T10 league could eat out of PSL’s resources.

Unlike India where the market is huge, marketing teams in Pakistan find it tough to generate revenues even for international cricket matches. The PSL and its franchises are no exception.

However, PCB’s marketing team and the Board’s consultants are confident that a T10 league will be able to pull its own weight. “There certainly is an appetite for this new format (ten-over) and we are sure that marketing a T10 league won’t be a problem if the matches are held in Pakistan,” an official told ‘The News.

Then there is another issue as well. Two of the franchise owners of the PSL have stakes in ventures in the Middle East whose interest could directly clash with a PCB-owned T10 league.

One such venture was the privately-owned T10 league launched in Sharjah last year. The PCB came under intense criticism over its decision to allow leading national cricketers to feature in the T10 league. The Board issued NOCs to several key national players including Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed to take part in the contest. The event was a private enterprise and the board was duly criticised over its decision to allow top players to take part in it.

The other is an Emirates T20 league, which is being planned in the UAE with the help of one of the PSL franchises.

However, Sethi said that if a T10 league is in the interest of Pakistan cricket then it will be launched. “We launched the PSL because we knew it would be good for Pakistan cricket and if a T10 league will serve the purpose then we will go for it.”