Narrowing the window for international cricket tours: the role of club-based cricket

International cricket tours and bilaterals remain the top priority of the ICC, although it seems lately that the window for these events in the cricket calendar is getting shorter or simply it is getting narrower. With domestic leagues becoming a ‘hot thing’ for the cricket sport, it appears that what we have always known about cricket will most probably change in the near future. 

Cricket is a very dynamic sport. Saying dynamic, we mean a sport that has seen too many changes throughout its history. Changes in the way it was organized, to the way it is played, while in the past years we are witnessing new formats coming at the stage. And within all these changes, we are also seeing fundamental changes emerging: like going down previously unknown roads – such as the road of leagues and clubs. 

Acquiring a league-based style is of course more effective in treating the eyes of fans, satisfying the cricket-lovers and also catering to the demands of bettors who are interested in onlinecricketbetting. With club-based cricket, the cricket calendar gets to be filled with franchised leagues across the world and this is something that most people who like to watch this sport, do appreciate much. More cricket games means more fun and excitement. 

Beginning with the Indian Premier League (IPL), franchised T20 leagues have been a massive hit -in most of the cases at least. Broadcasting rights of IPL has reached record high, way exceeding deals made for international tours or bilaterals. 

And it’s not only the IPL. Other successful T20 leagues such as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) or the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) are also getting more money for broadcasting rights than international events. Besides audiences’ interest it’s also the growth in online cricket betting that has further glorified these franchises. 

This alone shows how the league style in cricket is not just a hype, but something that is here to stay. But adding more franchised leagues in the cricket calendar, eventually burdens the already shortened window for international cricket tours. If we consider that the essence of cricket began in the international scene – competing national cricket teams – then we might be talking about the sport losing its touch with its roots and history. 

There is an ongoing concern as to where cricket is heading. Some have expressed explicit worries that cricket is going to follow the story of football. Football has a league-based style that delivers what the organizations want to achieve. National Leagues sit on the top and somewhere in-between the scheduled fixtures, there are also the international or world cup fixtures. But football’s style had never been for international or bilateral competition in that manner, as it is in the case of cricket. 

It seems that not only the franchise-based style does not quite fit with cricket because of its history and all the tradition, but it is also the fact that cricket has three different formally recognized formats which already have their international and bilateral tours. In such a tight schedule, how many more leagues can cricket actually take? 

There are two options: either go down the road of football and the franchised leagues with the club cricket or limit league-style cricket and refocus all the attention on international cricket and bilateral competitions. It seems, though, that one is more realistic than the other – not necessarily better, but more realistic. 

The transition has already begun and club cricket is already experiencing widespread popularity and preference among cricket die-hard fans and casual sports bettors. So, if we want to be down to earth or speak frankly, we need to admit that abandoning the club cricket or the franchise-based system is not an actual option. It’s been getting so much attention, generating so much revenue and driving cricket to a whole new chapter in its own history, that we can’t really talk about a world of cricket without this style no more. 

Though narrowing the window for international and bilateral cricket is also not an option. Maybe the boards need to find a way to have all franchise leagues happening in the same season or in the same window and leave open the window for the good, old cricket as we -cricket lovers – know it!