ECB says it’s open to talks with ICC over Sourav Ganguly’s Super Series idea

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has recently floated the idea of holding a Super Series featuring India, England, Australia and another top team. The idea has left the cricketing fraternity divided and now people are looking to find a middle ground in what is being perceived to be a growing tug-of-war between the BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Ganguly and other top officials of the Indian board recently met the officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and they acknowledged talks with their Indian counterpart over the proposed tournament which is being seen as an attempt to stop the game’s international body from hosting a major event every year.

“We meet regularly with other leaders from the major cricketing nations to share learnings and discuss topics that impact our sport,” the ECB said in a statement given to ESPNcricinfo. “A four-nation tournament was raised at a meeting with the BCCI in December and we are open to discussions with other ICC members to see if this concept can develop.”

The proposed event is certain to face hurdles as opinions are divided over it. The tournament is likely to increase the revenue of the boards associated with the event while the ICC doesn’t approve of tournaments featuring more than three teams that are not part of its own multi-side roaster.

Justin Langer is afraid that Super Series will make cricket schedule more crowded

Cricket Australia, another big board involved in the idea, has not yet commented on the matter. Australia’s head coach Justin Langer, however, said on Tuesday that it will make an already crowded cricket itinerary even more crowded.

“We all understand the schedule in world cricket is really tight, so I am sure there will be lots of negotiation and there are people, that’s their role to negotiate and get that right. But we all know it is a tight schedule,” Langer was quoted as saying in the Australia media.

Even before taking over as the BCCI chief, Ganguly had said that one of his main goals would be to increase India’s share of global cricket revenue.

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