Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed concern about the rising number of T20 leagues competing for space in the cricket calendar and has written to the apex board- ICC suggesting that a working group be formed to evaluate the impact of franchise cricket on international cricket.
In the latest instance of T20 leagues getting more importance, South Africa this week pulled out of a three-match bilateral one-day series in Australia in January as it clashes with their new domestic Twenty20 competition.
The PCB outlined its issues in a letter to the ICC earlier this month; where it proposed that the ICC CEO head the working group and prepare a report in three months. One of the PCB’s primary concerns is that Pakistan loses the opportunity to play international cricket during an extended window earmarked for the IPL.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Concerned With The Proliferation Of Domestic T20 Leagues Around The World
The IPL has had an unofficial two-month window in the calendar for several years, but in the ICC’s next Future Tours Programme (FTP) from May 2023 to April 2027, the window for the IPL has been extended to two and a half months – from late March to early June to accommodate more games.
In addition, the ECB and CA have also carved out windows for the Hundred and the BBL in their respective schedules, during which England and Australia will not play international cricket.
With several other boards, including the PCB, striving to make space for their own leagues, the draft FTP broadly affirmed the growing primacy of franchise T20 cricket in the international calendar.
“One particular agenda Pakistan will have during the [ICC AGM] meeting is the domestic T20 leagues,” PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain said.“We are a little concerned that the proliferation of domestic leagues around the world is sucking time out of the international calendar. There are new leagues that are evolving in two to three months… We want this to be discussed, and form a proper strategy.”
Faisal Hasnain confirmed that the Pakistan Cricket Board- PCB had written to the ICC expressing its concerns, and it is understood that the ICC has added the issue to the agenda for the AGM in July.
The Pakistan Cricket Board- PCB also claimed that two other boards had similar concerns. In its letter, the Pakistan Cricket Board- PCB stated that it was the role of the ICC to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for its members.
IPL Window Extension Concerns PCB Since Pakistan Players Are Not Allowed To Take Part In IPL
The IPL window is of particular concern for the Pakistan Cricket Board- PCB because its players have not been part of the world’s biggest T20 league since 2008, and though arch-rivals India and Pakistan play each other at ICC and ACC events, they have also not contested a bilateral series since 2012-13 because of strained political relations between the two countries.
The two sides first played in 1952, when Pakistan toured India. Recently the 1999 Kargil War and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have also interrupted cricketing ties between the two nations. Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace initiative of 2003 led to India touring Pakistan after a gap of almost 15 years. Subsequent exchange tours were held in 2005 and 2006 before the 2008 Mumbai attacks led to the suspension of India’s planned tour of Pakistan in 2009 and all future engagements in Pakistan.
The rise of domestic terrorism in Pakistan saw them not hosting international cricket since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in 2009, and Pakistan was even stripped of its co-host status for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Bilateral ties finally resumed when BCCI invited the Pakistan national team to tour India for three ODIs and two T20Is in December 2012 which was, unfortunately, the last time the two teams met in a bilateral series.
An extended IPL window in the next FTP would mean that Pakistan will not be able to play top-flight teams during that period, while the other boards get compensated to an extent by receiving a percentage of their players’ IPL salaries. The Pakistan Cricket Board- PCB urged the ICC to come up with a model that helps boards make up the loss in revenue incurred because of a window that is reserved for T20 leagues during the peak season.
Since 2016, the Pakistan board has organized its franchise T20 league – the Pakistan Super League- PSL – during its home season between February and March, but there is no window for the tournament in the international calendar. And with the planned increase in the number of PSL teams from 2026, it will be a challenge for the PCB to find space to accommodate its league and bilateral cricket in a packed calendar.
According to Faisal Hasnain, the draft for the next FTP cycle is 80% complete. A number of tours that are yet to be confirmed could be finalized by the ICC’s AGM on July 25 and 26 in Birmingham, England.