Alex Hales among players set for new Scottish T10 tournament

The inaugural edition of the men's and women's Scottish Super 10 is scheduled for August 16-31, posing yet another scheduling challenge to the ECB's diminishing stranglehold on the summer months

Elizabeth Botcherby | 19/03/2024 at 12:38

England international Alex Hales is among the players who have committed to featuring in the inaugural edition of the Scottish Super 10.

The new men's and women's franchise tournament is scheduled to take place in Aberdeen from August 16-31.

Six men's franchises – representing Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, and Dundee – will play 34 matches across 16 days.

The women's competition, meanwhile, will see two squads of 15 players, made up of current Scotland internationals and a selection of overseas names, face off during the opening weekend (August 16-18).

scotland19032401

^{Rashid Khan, who is already contracted for The Hundred, and Sikandar Raza have also committed to the T10 competition [Gareth Copley/Paul Kane/Getty Images]}

Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sikandar Raza, Naseem Shah and Finn Allen have joined Hales in signing up for the Scottish Super 10.

While the new T10 league provides an opportunity to grow cricket in Scotland, it also adds to an already congested summer schedule. For the ECB, in particular, it poses yet another scheduling challenge to their diminishing stranglehold on the summer months.

The opening weekend of the Scottish Super 10 clashes with the knockout stages of men's and women's The Hundred (August 17-18), which has occupied the prime August slot in the calendar since 2021, while two rounds of County Championship action have been scheduled for August 22-25 and August 29-September 1.

The first half of the County Championship already has to compete with the Indian Premier League while the T20 Blast group stage (May 30-July 19) and The Hundred (July 23-August 18) clash with the Lanka Premier League (July 1-24) and Major League Cricket, which ran from July 13-30 in 2023.

Earlier in March, it was confirmed Hales will miss six of Nottinghamshire’s 14 Blast group matches after signing up for the Lanka Premier League.

Rashid, Hales (both Trent Rockets) and Allen (Southern Brave) already have contracts for The Hundred while Gurbaz, Shah and Raza are up for grabs in Wednesday's (March 20) player draft.

Join The Cricketer's brand new Whatsapp channel for the latest breaking news, comment and features - click here to become a member