PCB boss proposes T20I Super Series involving India, Australia, England
Former Pakistan cricketer and current PCB chairman Ramiz Raja floated the idea for a quadrangular T20I tournament featuring the likes of India, Pakistan, England, and Australia, which he claimed he would present at the next ICC board meeting in March.
Raja feels that the current system of the bilateral T20 series has been losing its sheen and is financially unviable. By this new idea of his, he aims to spark fresh life into the format while also being able to generate higher revenues.
Raja posted his opinion on Twitter, as he seemingly took a page out of a Rugby competition called the Six Nations, where six European rugby powerhouses go up against each other in an annual mega-event. The PCB chairman christened his venture a “Four-Nation T20I Super Series”, while promising significant revenue generation, and also calling his idea a “winner”.
“I am not a big fan of bilateral T20 series as T20I cricket needs a new life amid the challenges around franchise cricket. Playing five bilateral T20Is is tedious, but if three or four nations play each other rather than bilateral series, that has a massive potential in terms of generating revenue.
It’s not like we need to create a parallel body like the Big Four, but it’s about generating interest and the income can go to the other boards too.”
he told ESPNCricinfo.
Although the idea might seem exciting on paper, there are a multitude of problems that could arise, the most glaring being the political tensions between India and Pakistan, which has made it practically impossible for the two nations to compete against each other outside ICC and ACC events. Secondly, there does not appear to be a viable window where all four of these teams are not otherwise occupied.
Notwithstanding, the spectacle of India-Pakistan games is hugely appealing to fans all around the world, something that Ramiz did address. Raja took the example of the T20 World Cup game between the two sides, which drew massive viewership from around the globe.
”My view is that a new structure based on pooling and sharing of income should be formed. The idea is to register a company that works under the ICC and has a dedicated Chief Executive Officer regulating the entire financial model, with the income divided among all the members,”
Raja explained.
Ramiz’ proposition, while exciting, might not necessarily be the first of its kind, as current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, having made a similar suggestion in 2019, involving England and Australia. The idea suggested that a fourth team be chosen on a rotational basis, with a new team each year. Raja claimed to be unaware of Ganguly’s plans, and planned to pitch his idea to the ICC in March.
Raja also played down political tensions, as he believed that the PCB wanted to move forward from previous conflicts.
