Former Proteas captain, the SA20 League commissioner, feels there is enough talent to keep Test cricket robust
Kolkata: Of the many influences exercised by IPL over cricket, nothing has been more transformative than the global intent it has sowed to make T20 the most marketable form of the game. With some of the IPL franchises already expanding their footprint in several countries, it may only be a matter of time before T20 leagues start envisaging a separate window in the international calendar. Graeme Smith, former South Africa captain who is currently the SA20 League Commissioner, already sees that happening.
Graeme Smith. (Hindustan Times)
“I think you will see the growth of franchise cricket. It’s happening with the SA20, The Hundred privatising, obviously the IPL has done it at a grand scale, investment in the US league. I think you will start to see a calendar for franchise cricket — there already is one,” said Smith in an interaction with HT.
That one-dayers are set to be a clear loser was apparent when in 2023, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) had suggested limiting bilateral ODIs after the 2027 World Cup. And for good reason too. The global T20 footprint now has top professionals playing for nearly six months, and those stints are only set to get more lucrative with IPL investing in South Africa, the Caribbean, UAE and the US. “I think we could have potentially four-five standout leagues in the season. We (SA20) are going to be in the summer window of the southern hemisphere. We have established ourselves as the biggest player outside India now and we want to go from strength to strength,” he said.
The idea of several leagues co-existing with IPL at its centre has many upsides for all the stakeholders. Not only can professional cricketers command more competitive salaries, a proper calendar can provide fans better context. Adding Tests and events-based cricket to it, Smith feels, can make the game whole. “We want to see South Africa perform well too. The ICC has world events every year. So, it looks like events-based cricket is going from strength to strength,” he said.
There are downsides as well to this arrangement. Even though BCCI has been able to insulate its international players, other cricket boards are faced with more and more cricketers preferring short-term franchise league deals over central contracts. A bigger concern has emerged over the Test-playing ability of younger players. Technique against spin has dropped sharply, batters don’t stay long enough at the crease to ensure bigger totals, and Tests as a result have endured quicker finishes more than ever. Smith acknowledges the change but wants to look at the positive side of it.
“The nature of cricket has changed dramatically. Young batters coming through now are certainly looking to be way more innovative,” he said. “The techniques are changing too, from traditional to more attacking, being able to generate power, innovative stroke play. Youngsters in this generation are seeing batting very differently. We have seen England transform Test cricket, people are excited with the way they are playing it. And you want to see Test cricket strong, the best playing against the best. There definitely is enough talent out there to do that.”
That a local talent pool can be tapped and nurtured in a matter of a decade, provided the franchises are willing to allocate resources for the right causes, has already been exhibited by IPL. And SA20 are trying to take a leaf out of that book by leveraging the already stablished schools cricket infrastructure of South Africa through a seven-month provincial competition for boys and girls this year. The aspiration bar of this scouting programme, as well as SA20, has been set high by IPL. “If we can get to the level of IPL and how much talent it’s producing, it will be unbelievable,” Smith said.
For any country’s franchise league to work, big names are needed. And Smith believes South Africa are already getting there. “We got Dinesh Karthik coming, Rashid Khan, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, so we are represented by five or six nations and some of the top cricketing talent. It can only benefit South African cricket.”
The investment from IPL franchises is ringing in positive changes too. “We were very fortunate to track the six IPL franchises. They bring so much expertise, they are the strongest franchises in the world game, very competitive, and they want to win. They do business well, but also do cricket very well,” said Smith. “This year we had 16 or 17 South African players in IPL. That probably puts us as the most represented nation at IPL outside India. You have seen what IPL has done for the strength of South African cricket, and we want to see that in South Africa as well.”
