I imagine a lot of the local players will be second generation Asians, and of those fervently hope those with origins in India and Pakistan are getting along fine
I played cricket in Corfu in the mid 1980s. There was a bunch of us - mainly British expats and sundry Commonwealth diplomats based in Athens.
We used to play scratch matches amongst ourselves on a coir mat on a dusty soccer pitch in summer. We occasionally played teams from visiting Brit warships, and once a team from NZ with some first-class players in their number.
One summer we went to Corfu to play and faced this team of fit young Greeks who could really play. We were there for the weekend and played two limited over games. Great fun.
Franchise cricket is the leviathan of professional sport in the 2020's and beyond............
Entrepreneurs and some cricket associations have little interest in building and promoting test cricket because they are locked out of the model and structure.
However, they are not locked out of T20 competitions, shorter seasons, and matches, and plenty of keen participants make it easier to invest in.
Are in-stadium crowds needed, yes/no? Are TV audiences needed absolutely, but that isn't really an issue. BBL has rising TV ratings again!
Can they grow and survive? That's another matter altogether.
Money may well be found, but can a lasting sport be built? I'm not so sure.
No Greek jokes, although the 'Athens Gods' is an obvious franchise name that needs to be trademarked asap.
I didn’t think something like this would have been Steve Waugh’s bag. I always had the impression (for some reason) that he was an arch-traditionalist and wouldn’t be seen dead getting involved in T20 franchise cricket. But he missed out on the T20 lolly that today’s players are earning (or being given), so he wants to get in for his cut, I guess. If I had a bit of bread, I’d start my own one up too. Powerball’s apparently 80 million next week, that should be enough … for almost a team.
This really needs a more considered response, but let's be clear about 'European': what's proposed only involves Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. The chance of players from other European countries making the squads is somewhere close to zero: maybe a couple from Jersey, or some of the diaspora players now turning out for Italy, but that'll be about it.
Will it happen? This time, maybe. Will it succeed? Peter's caution is entirely justified, and he's right that it depends what you mean by 'succeed'. Which in turn depends on your objectives and motives. And that's where my serious doubts begin to kick in.
"Much of Europe’s cricketing ecosystem remains under-commercialised, presenting a significant opportunity for structured growth," according to a bean counter associated with this Tri-Nation series. Which might actually help cricket in Ireland and Scotland. What we the people really need are serious articles about the potential for a T20 bubble and its implications for the entire "ecosystem", not to mention gambling, fixing and laundering, which I suspect are being buried by exactly this sort of corporate spin.
I enjoyed reading the article, but I doubt I will watch a further T20 competition. Too much saturation of leagues and competitions all in the name of the $$.
Really good article - let's hope they can do it properly, love the idea of a Greek T20 team...
I imagine a lot of the local players will be second generation Asians, and of those fervently hope those with origins in India and Pakistan are getting along fine
I played cricket in Corfu in the mid 1980s. There was a bunch of us - mainly British expats and sundry Commonwealth diplomats based in Athens.
We used to play scratch matches amongst ourselves on a coir mat on a dusty soccer pitch in summer. We occasionally played teams from visiting Brit warships, and once a team from NZ with some first-class players in their number.
One summer we went to Corfu to play and faced this team of fit young Greeks who could really play. We were there for the weekend and played two limited over games. Great fun.
'The most expensive mistakes new sports ventures make is confusing control with progress.'
Beautiful.
Thanks for a compressive overview.
The fear is EPL will be a front for global gambling syndicates.
Great read, Peter, well done.
Franchise cricket is the leviathan of professional sport in the 2020's and beyond............
Entrepreneurs and some cricket associations have little interest in building and promoting test cricket because they are locked out of the model and structure.
However, they are not locked out of T20 competitions, shorter seasons, and matches, and plenty of keen participants make it easier to invest in.
Are in-stadium crowds needed, yes/no? Are TV audiences needed absolutely, but that isn't really an issue. BBL has rising TV ratings again!
Can they grow and survive? That's another matter altogether.
Money may well be found, but can a lasting sport be built? I'm not so sure.
No Greek jokes, although the 'Athens Gods' is an obvious franchise name that needs to be trademarked asap.
I didn’t think something like this would have been Steve Waugh’s bag. I always had the impression (for some reason) that he was an arch-traditionalist and wouldn’t be seen dead getting involved in T20 franchise cricket. But he missed out on the T20 lolly that today’s players are earning (or being given), so he wants to get in for his cut, I guess. If I had a bit of bread, I’d start my own one up too. Powerball’s apparently 80 million next week, that should be enough … for almost a team.
This really needs a more considered response, but let's be clear about 'European': what's proposed only involves Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. The chance of players from other European countries making the squads is somewhere close to zero: maybe a couple from Jersey, or some of the diaspora players now turning out for Italy, but that'll be about it.
Will it happen? This time, maybe. Will it succeed? Peter's caution is entirely justified, and he's right that it depends what you mean by 'succeed'. Which in turn depends on your objectives and motives. And that's where my serious doubts begin to kick in.
"Much of Europe’s cricketing ecosystem remains under-commercialised, presenting a significant opportunity for structured growth," according to a bean counter associated with this Tri-Nation series. Which might actually help cricket in Ireland and Scotland. What we the people really need are serious articles about the potential for a T20 bubble and its implications for the entire "ecosystem", not to mention gambling, fixing and laundering, which I suspect are being buried by exactly this sort of corporate spin.
I enjoyed reading the article, but I doubt I will watch a further T20 competition. Too much saturation of leagues and competitions all in the name of the $$.
With Socrates as wicketkeeper & Aristotle sending down a few leagues
Sorry Leggies
Talos enters the conversation...
Will there be a Cretanteamas well ?- the Cretan. Bronzes