Cricket: SPL concept stumped by Future Tours diary

Top-level meetings over the past month have almost certainly seen the Twenty20 Southern Premier League (SPL) concept shelved.

It is understood the draft copy of the new Future Tours Programme (FTP), which will determine each member country's touring obligations through 2012-2020, will leave no room for a Southern Premier League in its desired October window.

The ICC has just completed its annual AGM, with the FTP dominating the agenda. The emergence of Twenty20 as the game's biggest money-spinner and the wishes of the so-called 'big four' - Australia, England, India and South Africa - to engage each other more often in 'icon' series has made the exercise more difficult.

Australia, South Africa and New Zealand look to have heavy 'bilateral' schedules around October and cramming the Twenty20 tournament into the cracks is not feasible.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said from the transit lounge in Hong Kong that the SPL was looking tenuous.

"I don't want to put a fullstop on it and say it won't happen but if you want to have an IPL, Champions League, SPL and bi-lateral tours, something has to give," said Vaughan.

"In its current state, the FTP looks very attractive to us, so it would be of considerable financial sacrifice to us to try to carve out an SPL.

"The FTP is not locked in yet, so it is difficult to make a definitive statement."

NZC commercial manager Peter Dwan said if the FTP made an October window impossible, the only option would be for the three boards to reduce their international commitments.

"Even so, you can have all the desire in the world to make it [the SPL] happen but it might not be feasible under the new programme. The FTP will have a significant knock-on effect."

The reason the Indian Premier League has been such a success with broadcasters and sponsors is the star-studded rosters of each franchise.

In order to gain similar traction in the smaller markets of South Africa and Australia, and the tiny market here, the three boards needed a guarantee that the best players would be available in order to attract the necessary financial backers.

The tournament, the Southern Hemisphere's answer to the Indian Premier League, was mooted close to a year ago and was due to start in 2011.

At the time, Vaughan said there would be two conferences, an African one and an Australasian. Herald on Sunday inquiries uncovered the probability that there would have been no New Zealand franchise and no games played here.

The benefits to New Zealand would have been part ownership in the concept and a guaranteed minimum amount of players in each franchise.

Adam Gilchrist, in his well-received Cowdrey lecture, pointed to the issues with the mooted SPL.

"While Cricket Australia should be applauded for further embracing Twenty20 cricket, in my opinion, an SPL would only ever really be a poor man's IPL," Gilchrist said.

"My preference would be for an expanded, state-based, Twenty20 competition, running from November to February. You could potentially add two teams from New Zealand, with a feature being the Australian test and one-day stars, with selected overseas invitees."

The failure of the concept to get off the ground will see the three boards put more emphasis on their own tournaments.