International Cricket Council plans new T20 Champions League while decisions loom on future of Test cricket

The first iteration of the T20 Champions League was launched in 2008 and lasted until 2014, before the company then known as ESPN Star cut its losses after paying an inflated rights fee of about $1 billion for the event, having lost out on the first rights to the Indian Premier League.

Cricket Australia, India’s BCCI and Cricket South Africa were partners in the league, and ESPN Star’s rights fees helped to provide the seed funding for the first few years of the Big Bash League, before it began to generate its own significant broadcast rights revenue in 2013.

Since then, the T20 franchise circuit has exploded, and one of numerous complexities for the Champions League will be determinations about which clubs players choose to play for. Some of the world’s top T20 players can take part in at least two and often as many as four or five different franchise leagues per year.

It has not yet been decided how the finances of the new league will be split. Lobbying has continued for a parallel concept where a circuit of T20 tournaments are hosted around the world, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, but the Kingdom’s future role may be as a potential host for the Champions League.

Among other decisions, the ICC board has approved a qualification model for the cricket tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and also given the dysfunctional USA Cricket board a three-month deadline to meet a range of compliance goals. Should those terms not be met, the six-team tournaments for men and women at the LA Olympics will be run by the ICC directly.

Loading

A funding model for the refugee Afghanistan women’s cricket team has also been approved, with the players set to be supported to the tune of about $1 million per year, with a view to them trying to qualify for global events.

Australia, meanwhile, begin a Twenty20 series against the West Indies in Jamaica on Monday morning. Captain Mitch Marsh confirmed that he won’t be seen at the bowling crease for the foreseeable future, and intends to play as a batter only in all formats following a recent run of back problems.

Marsh also flagged a debut for the Hobart Hurricanes’ heavy hitter Mitch Owen, who was named MVP for the recent Major League Cricket tournament in the United States.

Matt Short finished the MLC with a side strain and has been ruled out of the series, meaning Jake Fraser-McGurk will open the batting with Marsh.

Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been rested.

Australia XI: Mitch Marsh (capt), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.