In what would seem like an attempt by the elite cricketing nations to pull away from ICC’s plans, there have been talks recently about a Super Series to be held annually that would feature four teams including India, Australia and England.
Newly-elected Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly had spoken about such plans recently but has now said there is nothing concrete in place, according to a report in Times of India.
“Australia, England, India and another top team will feature in the Super Series, which begins in 2021, and the first edition of the tournament will be played in India,” Ganguly was quoted as saying recently by Kolkata media.
But while that sounded definitive, the latest update seems to be that these are nothing but discussions ongoing between the boards for now.
The England and Wales Cricket board has confirmed to ESPNCricinfo that that Ganguly discussed the proposed quandrangular tournament during his recent visit to the country and that they are open to discussions with other boards.
“On their recent trip to London, to meet with officials of the England & Wales Cricket Board, Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah and treasurer Arun Dhumal discussed a host of issues, and one of which was to restrain the ICC from pushing for a six-team 50-over white-ball tournament,” the Times of India report said, adding that no dialogue has yet taken place with Cricket Australia.
The move is seen as a counter to prevent ICC from implementing their plan of having a global event organised by the international body in every calendar year.
While the ECB has acknowledged the discussion, Cricket Australia is yet to comment on the subject. If the plan goes through, it will make the calendar more crowded, something Australia head coach Justin Langer alluded to on Tuesday.
“We all understand the schedule in world cricket is really tight, so I am sure there will be lots of negotiation and there are people, that’s their role to negotiate and get that right. But we all know it is a tight schedule,” Langer was quoted as saying by the Australian media.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the ICC has made clear its intentions “to add an extra 50-over tournament to the ICC events cycle beginning in 2023, so there is a global event providing revenue to member nations in each year of the cycle.”
If such a Super Series does happen, it will likely take up the window that the ICC had in mind for adding a new tournament to the schedule.
