Indian Premier League Founder Lalit Modi said that English cricket is the "most vulnerable" to takeover by a rebel league, according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. His warning comes as the England & Wales Cricket Board faces "one of the biggest decisions of its history as the debate over the future of Twenty20 cricket in this country threatens to split the game." Modi believes the "perilous finances of the majority of the 18 counties make them ideal targets for businesses such as the Essel Group," an India media conglomerate owned by billionaire Subhash Chandra that is planning to "move into the cricket world by establishing its own leagues and governing body" outside the control of recognized boards. Modi: "If I was him [Chandra], England is the first place I would look. I would not be surprised if somebody took apart the ECB. It is a no-brainer. There is no money in the business [of the counties] and if they were offered 5, 7, 10 million dollars a year guaranteed by Chandra what would they do?" It is "easy to understand why some counties would be attractive to private investors, particularly those that own their grounds." They have history and established networks in place but it "seems unlikely Essel would be able to pull anything off without the input of many, many millions of dollars and the expertise of Modi," who claims to have "walked away from the project." The ECB is currently reviewing the state of county cricket with a view to "relaunching the Twenty20 competition" in '17 (
TELEGRAPH, 5/2).
ICC WANTS ANSWERS: In London, Ali Martin reported England's away series against Pakistan next winter "remains in the balance" as the Int'l Cricket Council "awaits a satisfactory explanation from the host broadcaster, Ten Sports, over its involvement in cricket's so-called rebel movement." Talk of a split in world cricket has "gathered pace" since the ICC began an investigation into the "registration of companies and website domains by Indian conglomerate Essel," of which Ten Sports is a subsidiary. Essel has "since admitted its interest in a return to cricket" -- its rebel Indian Cricket League collapsed in '09 after two seasons -- but went on record this week to "deny the involvement of Ten Sports." The news comes at a time when England is "yet to announce the dates for the trip to the United Arab Emirates, where they are due to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 against Pakistan in October and November." Public confirmation of the tour will "not be forthcoming unless Ten Sports explains its actions to the ICC investigation" led by outgoing ECB Chair Giles Clarke (GUARDIAN, 5/2).
