The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suggested a quadrangular T20I competition that will generate USD 650 million in revenue for the four countries as well as the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The proposal, which would see Pakistan, England, India, and Australia compete in a T20 event every year, will be presented to the ICC Board of Directors next week.
The PCB believes that September-October will be the best time for this competition because it is the start of the cricketing season in Australia, Pakistan, and India, while the English season is coming to a conclusion.
Currently, the concept is for a single league format with six league games played over two weekends, with either a one-off or best-of-three finals. The tournament’s hosting rights are expected to be rotated, and the ICC will have complete authority over the event.
According to the PCB’s estimations, the event may generate USD 650 million in broadcast and commercial rights, with plans to split the money among the four sides as well as other ICC members.
It is unclear how the revenue will be distributed, however it is expected that a considerable percentage will go to non-participating Full and Associate members.
“This is a strategic paper in which the ICC and its members have been encouraged and invited to explore an untapped event opportunity around traditional rivalries in cricket, turn them into a cricket extravaganza, attract a new generation of cricketers, speed up cricket development and maximise revenues for the members,” a PCB official told ESPNcricinfo.
“This concept not only provides context, but it will also become a much-anticipated event across the globe as cricket fans and followers want to see Pakistan play India or Australia take on England or India meet England or Pakistan face Australia on an annual basis.”
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja has been vociferous about such a competition since taking office in September. At the upcoming ICC meeting, he, along with board CEO Faisal Hasnain, will disclose the entire situation.
It’s too early to tell how other boards will react to this concept, but deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India will be a major impediment to the tournament’s organisation. Since 2012-13, neither adjacent country has played in a bilateral series.
Even with a prospective annual dividend, there are no evident reasons why other Full and Associate members would agree to such a plan that excludes them from participation.
If the ICC is to host the event, as requested, it will add another layer of complexity to the events they have already scheduled for their next cycle.
Last month, BCCI secretary Jay Shah dismissed Ramiz Raja’s proposal for a four-nation T20I Super Series, calling it a short-term commercial initiative.
Shah made these comments while talking to Reuters. He said, “The interests of the chief of cricket bodies across the globe should be on expanding the game of cricket and it is more important than “short-term commercial initiatives.”
An increasing number of ICC events in the next cycle – four men’s T20 World Cups are scheduled between 2023 to 2031 – as well as the local T20 leagues that most Full Members are presently conducting means that calendar space is almost non-existent – unless bilateral obligations are sacrificed.
This quadrangular, according to the PCB, is not an attempt to undercut ICC events, but rather an attempt to introduce another short event to the schedule that has high commercial value.
“The ICC tried the ICC Super Series in 2005, so there is no harm in testing waters for another event,” the official said. “This event will also bring a further nation vs nation event, in a cricket calendar that is being increasingly influenced by mushrooming of various T20 leagues around the world. Because of that, bilateral T20Is have become meaningless. The four-nation Super Series can fill the vacuum.”
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