David Warner is part of the MAX60 (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Luring several marquee players, including new gun-for-hire David Warner, to the picturesque Cayman Islands for the inaugural MAX 60 Caribbean League might just prove a fillip for T10 cricket – the lean 90-minute format boasting influential backers.
Backed by Caribbean cricket boards and sanctioned by the International Cricket Council, the MAX60 starts on Sunday and will comprise 25 games over eight days. Inaugural teams are T10 Abu Dhabi Champions New York Strikers, Caribbean Giants, Grand Cayman Stingrays, Boca Raton Trailblazers and Miami Lions.
Warner, the recently retired Australian cricketer, is now adding a T10 competition to the T20 merry-go-round he has jumped on, while Thisara Perera, Sikandar Raza, Dwayne Bravo and Alex Hales are other high-profile players part of MAX60.
Player earnings and salary caps are not publicly disclosed, but quite obviously there is significant financial backing behind this nascent league.
“(Player Payments) are in line with similar leagues globally,” the tournament’s chief executive Dario Barthley told me. “(The payments) ensured major international players could be secured alongside some amazing emerging talent internationally and Caymans local players, 15 of whom will be paid higher than ever before.”
Having signed off from his international career at the T20 World Cup, Warner is a prized signature and provides heft to a tournament attempting to find some air amid a saturated cricket landscape.
David Warner has retired from international cricket (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty … [+] Images)
ICC via Getty Images
“David Warner is a huge signing and association for this league,” Barthley said. “I mean, he has done all there is to do in T20 cricket and we are blessed to have him endorse this league and display his talent for the people of the Cayman Islands and the world.”
While the Caribbean is beloved for its rich cricket traditions, the Cayman Islands – to the south of Havana and northwest of Jamaica – has been more obscure in the bat and ball sport.
But with many expats lured through tourism and financial industries, cricket has been played there for decades with the Cayman Islands a member of the ICC since 1997.
The Cayman Islands might be widely known as a tax haven, as portrayed in popular culture such as Tom Cruise’s The Firm, but the MAX60 is set to showcase its passion for cricket amid a glamorous backdrop.
Cayman Islands is known for its scenery (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Getty Images
“The Cayman Islands actually has quite a rich cricketing culture, both among locals and the expatriate community,” Barthley said. “Everywhere you go, people tell you about the days when all the big West Indies players used to visit.
“With the scenery the Cayman Islands has to offer, we thought it was a no-brainer to bring a tournament of this stature to its shores.
“While we consider this a long-time investment into the future of Cayman Islands cricket and will certainly be involved in programs focused on the longer formats of the game, we understand the importance of community.”
T10 competitions have been sprouting around the world in recent years, but the format – 10 overs per side over a game length of around 90 minutes – is not played in international cricket. Five-day Test cricket, 50-over and T20 cricket are the official formats.
Cricket’s newest and shortest game does have important backers, who believe it can rival soccer’s popularity and better suit declining attention spans. ICC board director and Zimbabwe chief Tavengwa Mukuhlani is an influential administrator and proponent of T10 cricket. Zimbabwe launched a T10 competition last year in a bid to find other revenue streams.
“I think for the ICC they have a number of considerations. There are three formats but two are struggling other than T20s,” Mukuhlani told me in late 2022.
For now, however, T10 cricket is not on the radar of being an official international format. But a successful MAX 60 amid stunning surroundings, among other T10 competitions, could help build momentum for cricket’s latest innovation.
“We think that MAX60 will be profitable a lot quicker than we have seen with franchise tournaments in the past,” Bartley said. “The rise of T10 is clear for all to see over the past few years. High-octane, fast-paced cricket is certainly appealing to the wider general public.
“I certainly can’t imagine anything better than watching the best cricketers in the world hit sixes against the backdrop of the beautiful sun, sea and sand that the Caribbean has to offer.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-17 14:12:00
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