SYDNEY (AP) — Australia great Steve Waugh hopes to help cricket thrive on its “last great frontier” after investing in a franchise in Amsterdam as part of a proposed European T20 league.
The European T20 Premier League is set to start in August, organizers said at a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday, announcing the first three teams to join the competition: Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast.
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The joint venture will include three more teams competing in tournaments in continental Europe, a largely untapped cricket market.
Amsterdam will be co-owned by Waugh, a former Australian captain and one of Australia’s all-time best players, who is excited to take the sport to new areas of the world.
“What makes this opportunity compelling is that it is driven by desire and long-term thinking,” Waugh said. “In many ways this marks my return to the game, but in a very different role. It’s about helping to uphold the standards and ethos of cricket while supporting its growth in Europe, which remains the game’s last great frontier.”
Amsterdam have signed Australian stars Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh, according to the BBC.
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Belfast will be owned by a consortium led by Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell, who still plays T20 cricket for Australia and around the world.
Edinburgh will be owned by former New Zealand cricketers Nathan McCallum and Kyle Mills.
The event has been officially sanctioned by the ICC and is one of the many T20 events around the world.
Saurav Banerjee, co-founder of the alliance, said Europe has 34 ICC member states but “commercialization remains insufficient, providing significant opportunities for structural growth.”
“Through professional governance, a franchise structure and long-term discipline, ETPL aims to promote sustainable commercial growth and enhance European cricket’s standing on the global stage,” he said.
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