SCOTLAND’S cricketers will be left out of pocket after plans for a European T20 competition fell through just two weeks before the start date.
Organisers of the Euro T20 Slam have called off the first edition of the six-team tournament that would have included franchises from Glasgow and Edinburgh and a series of matches at the Grange club in the Scottish capital.
Recognised international stars such as England captain Eoin Morgan and South African fast bowler Dale Steyn had been drafted to take part alongside the cream of Scottish talent.
But the Indian firm behind the event have pulled the plug citing “unforeseen circumstances” understood to include cashflow problems and non-payment of franchise fees. They hope to stage it now in 2020.
Doubts had been growing about the tournament – also featuring teams from Ireland and the Netherlands – given no ticket sales had been announced and no broadcasting arrangements revealed ahead of the August 30 start date.
And Scottish players - who had been drafted for sums up to $30,000 - won’t now receive any of the payments they had been promised after official contracts for their services never materialised.
Malcolm Cannon, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, agreed with the decision to postpone. He said: “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.”
Prashant Mishra, one of the organisers, added: “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.”
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