Euro T20 Slam postponed until 2020 at less than three weeks' notice

The six-team competition was due to begin in less than three weeks on August 30, before culminating in a grand final – the 33rd match of the competition – that was due to take place on September 22

The inaugural Euro T20 Slam has been postponed until 2020.

The six-team competition was due to begin in less than three weeks on August 30, before a grand final – the 33rd match of the competition – that was due to take place on September 22. It was set to be the first such franchise T20 tournament jointly hosted across multiple ICC member nations.

With franchises in Dublin, Belfast, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Glasgow and Edinburgh, the tournament was set up in such a way that local players from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands would be split between the teams from their respective countries.

They – alongside stars from around the globe – were put into teams during a draft that took place in July, with Eoin Morgan, Mohammad Amir and Babar Azam all taking their places in the Dublin Chiefs squad.

Others, including Shane Watson, Chris Lynn, Shahid Afridi and Rashid Khan, were all selected as icon and marquee players.

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said he was “deeply disappointed with the decision,” but that he “fully [empathised] with the rationale that has led to the tournament’s postponement.”

Prashant Mishra, speaking on behalf of the board of the Euro T20 Slam, explained: “The board of the Euro T20 Slam, funding partners and franchise owners of this exciting new T20 tournament have reluctantly come to the decision that staging of the event will not be possible in 2019.

“We want to ensure that the inaugural staging of the Euro T20 Slam provides the best springboard to making this a truly flagship event on the global cricket calendar.

“As such, we believe the right course of action is to postpone the Slam to a further date. This will give us the necessary breathing space to ensure we are ready to go.

“We will work with the three cricket boards, our principal investors, the franchise owners, players and other stakeholders within the game to ensure we fulfil any commitments we have made to the extent possible. We want to ensure the goodwill and integrity that we have built up rolls on into 2020.”

^{Imran Tahir had been due to play for Amsterdam Knights}

Malcolm Cannon, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, added: “While this was a very difficult decision to make at this late stage, we believe that it is the right one and one which leaves us with a great opportunity to launch the Euro T20 Slam next year with its deserved noise level.

“Cricket Scotland has no regrets about trying to find innovative ways to drive cricket forward, popularise the game, and attract more investment into the sport.

“Indeed, the interest shown in the Slam since its launch has proved to us here in Scotland that there is a huge appetite for this type of event and for Scottish sports fans to get to see international superstars playing with and against our homegrown talent.”

The plan for the 2019 edition was revealed in March, with each 16-man squad comprising nine local players and seven internationals. Amsterdam was due to host the first 10 games, before the roadshow moved to Edinburgh, finishing with the last set of round-robin matches and finals at Malahide, Dublin.

The league is being promoted and organised by Woods Entertainment and GS Holding – the parent company of the Mercuri Group, and the same consortium that runs Canada’s Global T20, which finished earlier this week.

However, the latter stages of the Canada-based tournament were shrouded in controversy, with the game between Montreal Tigers and Toronto Nationals initially delayed after both teams refused to board their team buses in an apparent protest against unpaid wages.

The knock-on effect of the postponement of this year’s tournament could well be seen around the upcoming Caribbean Premier League.

The CPL – now in its seventh season and an established cricketing brand – saw several regular overseas stars of the past forego the competition in favour of signing up as icon players in the new competition.

Rashid, Lynn, Watson and Brendon McCullum among others – all of whom would have expected to be picked up at the CPL draft in ordinary year – went unsold as a result of the clash between the two events. The CPL will run from September 4 to October 12.

For the local players, the blow is perhaps even greater – not only in terms of the financial benefits of the league, but given the excitement of the prospect of lining up alongside some of the sport’s most recognisable figures.

However, the news could also have an effect on England’s T20 Blast. Finals Day is set to take place on September 21 – the same weekend as had been set aside for the Slam’s knockout stage. The two semifinals were penciled in for September 20, with the final on September 22, with all three games being played at Malahide.

Only last week, the Euro T20 Slam signed a deal with Indian sports game Dream11 to become the league’s official fantasy league partner.

Meanwhile, big names including Anil Kumble and Wasim Akram have given their public backing to the tournament, with Kumble a prominent face at July’s draft.

Although the circumstances appear to be somewhat different, the Slam is by no means the first T20 competition to be shelved late in the day.

In 2018, the UAE T20x, which featured international stars including Morgan, Afridi and Andre Russell, was called off because just two of the five franchises had found buyers.

Crucially, however, iIn a statement, Euro T20 Slam organisers remain at pains to state that rather than being cancelled, the start date is simply being shifted back to 2020.

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