Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has been receiving reactions from all corners of the world for his idea of having an annual Super Series. While the officials at England Cricket Board, Cricket Australia have had positive first reactions over the idea, former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif termed it ‘stupid’ citing how the smaller boards will feel left out. Ganguly, however, hit back at the criticism suggesting the entire idea is to have a ‘high-class’ tournament as people want a little more than just bilateral series assignments.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Ganguly opened up on the quadrangular series – featuring India, Australia, England and another top side – while suggesting that a lot more work is set to be done to make it a reality.
“It’s a proposal. Let’s see where it goes. The reason behind it is only to have a good, competitive tournament. So, that’s where it stands. We will have to get clearances from the broadcasters and ICC for a four-nation tournament. Then, there are the Future Tours Programme (FTP) areas to look at, as to where do we fit it within the FTP. But it’s just a way to create a niche tournament. We are looking for quality cricket,” he said.
The in-stadia attendance has gradually dwindled when it comes to Test and ODI cricket, but Dada is hoping to attract people in the stadiums again with series like these.
“What we see today, is only bilaterals happening. People want to see a high-class tournament and we are attempting to do it. Look at the crowds in the Boxing Day Test between Australia and New Zealand. So, that’s also one of the reasons. Pink Ball Test was one such effort to generate crowd interest,” he added.
When the question of the three big boards planning to make money themselves with the quadrangular series, Ganguly retorted saying there’s going to be a fourth team too depending upon the availability.
