Cricket SA will not debate differences over new T20 league in the media

27 June 2018 - 13:56
By Telford Vice
Acting Cricket South Africa chief executive Thabang Moroe speaks during the CSA Awards breakfast at Inanda Polo Club on June 02, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Moroe and his governing Board of Directors are faced with a tough task of finalizing the T20 Global League (T20GL) standoff with franchise owners.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Acting Cricket South Africa chief executive Thabang Moroe speaks during the CSA Awards breakfast at Inanda Polo Club on June 02, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Moroe and his governing Board of Directors are faced with a tough task of finalizing the T20 Global League (T20GL) standoff with franchise owners.

You can smell the cake being baked but you can’t have a slice.

All of them already belong to those who bought the ingredients‚ for which you paid.

Then you were given your money back.

Now all you have is the sweet smell of what might have been.

If you’re lucky a few crumbs might fall your way but best you don’t come hungry.

The cake is the T20 Global League (T20GL)‚ which was postponed last year and is set to be reinvented in November.

The would-be bakers are the franchise owners but Cricket South Africa (CSA) and SuperSport are now running things.

Three of the owners of the eight T20GL franchises have made plain their unhappiness at being thrown out of the kitchen by saying in the press that they are talking to their lawyers.

Others are believed to be lining up to do the same.

But CSA‚ who have refunded their deposits‚ are not about to invite them in.

“CSA does not intend to debate the matter through the media and‚ as per our last letter to the owners‚ remain available to any party who wishes to engage in the current process of planning the tournament‚” the board said in a statement on Wednesday.

“CSA indicated from the offset that the key revenue streams must first be secured‚ re: broadcasting rights and potential sponsors‚ before detail of the tournament can be finalised.

“Once that have taken place engagement with other stakeholders will be possible.”

So CSA and SuperSport‚ presumably‚ want to have their cake and eat it.

The T20GL franchise owners?

Let them eat cake. Just not this cake.