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Ramiz Raja (Image source- Twitter)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday that it has requested that the International Cricket Council (ICC) establish a method to manage the expansion of cash-rich Twenty20 leagues, amid growing worries about their influence on the International schedule.
The next cycle of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) is set to be discussed later this month at the ICC's annual meeting in Birmingham. The FTP specifies which national teams play where and when. The hectic international schedule, which includes ICC tournaments such as the World Cups, might be dominated by franchise cricket.
"The growth of franchise cricket is impacting the already-crammed international cricket calendar. The PCB is concerned about this development and wants the ICC to formulate a strategy on this issue," PCB chief executive Faisal Hasnain said in a statement.
"We have sent a proposal to the ICC, which they have added to their meeting agenda. Two other boards have also conveyed their apprehensions to the ICC on this matter and urged the ICC to create a working group to debate on the expansion of franchise-based T20 leagues," the statement further said.
The influential Indian cricket body is discussing an extension of the popular Indian T20 League's timeframe. Last month, they sold the broadcast rights for the 2023-27 cycle to the annual T20 competition for a whopping $6.2 billion. Furthermore, South Africa withdrew from a three-match bilateral one-day series in Australia in January because it clashed with their new domestic Twenty20 league.
PCB believes that the FTP will be very important to them. Notably, Pakistan has just recently resumed hosting international cricket matches after a lengthy absence owing to security concerns.
"Finalising the FTP is very important for us. This will give us certainty about which teams will be visiting us and which countries we will be touring. Eighty per cent of the FTP has already been agreed upon and the remaining 20% will be completed in the upcoming meeting," Hasnain added.