The PCB Reacts...
Yesterday I posted on something that seems trivial today but could be a major issue in the future.
The PCB seem to have picked up on it as well. They have filed a case against the ICL for using the name "Pakistan" for one of their teams and for projecting that Inzamam & Co. are representing "Pakistan".
Feeling threatened PCB?
No doubt. The Pakistan international team faces the danger of being overshadowed by an ICL Pakistan.
I know that around Dubai last night, there were more Pakistanis interested in following ICL Pakistan vs ICL India as compared to Pakistan vs Bangladesh. This is definitely a cause for concern and a trend that looks to continue.
Even though Pakistan won and ICL Pakistan lost, there seems to be more support for ICL Pakistan.
The PCB have acted but what will the result be?
The PCB seem to have picked up on it as well. They have filed a case against the ICL for using the name "Pakistan" for one of their teams and for projecting that Inzamam & Co. are representing "Pakistan".
Feeling threatened PCB?
No doubt. The Pakistan international team faces the danger of being overshadowed by an ICL Pakistan.
I know that around Dubai last night, there were more Pakistanis interested in following ICL Pakistan vs ICL India as compared to Pakistan vs Bangladesh. This is definitely a cause for concern and a trend that looks to continue.
Even though Pakistan won and ICL Pakistan lost, there seems to be more support for ICL Pakistan.
The PCB have acted but what will the result be?
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i think ICL can be in trouble for this...
being labeled as unofficial outfit i don't think they can use names of what we call 'proprietaries' in technical terms...
That depends SP - Is Pakistan a trademark name. Is only the international team allowed to use it?
I think the problem here is that the ICL team is called ICL Pakistan and when the commentators, players, etc are referring to it they just say 'Pakistan' forgetting the ICL in front.
Even when i talk abt it i say - Ten Sports lagao, ICL ka Pakistan v India a raha hai...
So a few players gave interviews and in that the interviewer and the player were referring to the team as Pakistan which caused the PCB to react.
The ICL can easily fight the case saying their team is registered as ICL Pakistan.
damn it...so much for nothing...
i guess it keeps icl happy...as they say bad publicity is good publicity...
ICL should just call them "ICL Pakistanis" or "Pakistani Stars" or something like that to avoid problems. Then, the PCB can find other irrelevant ways to waste time, since they don't want to deal with improving cricket in Pakistan.
The reason more people are uninterested in Pak vs Bangladesh is because of the opponents. Sadly, very few people are interested in seeing Bangladesh. (even if they win one, big deal - it's about time they started winning regularly. They've been in the fray for long enough to be competitive, but haven't done so. The odd win is not good enough - only 6 wins out of 116 against current Test teams).
I really like the ICL. It's a low overhead, less drama version of the game (compared to IPL). It's only downside is that it may encourage people to retire early. And with the sad state that international cricket is in, do you blame some cricketers for doing so?
I see full teams from various cities in Pakistan, and maybe even Sri Lanka and Bangladesh taking part within a year or two. IPL will end up being a little too expensive in the long run, I think. Plus, player contracts with their boards are bound to create problems. But I do hope it is a success too.
One more Bangladesh stat - zero wins, two draws, and 43 losses out of 45 Tests against current Test teams. That's really bad. I don't mean to rail against Bangladesh, but it's imperative that they improve soon. For themselves, and for the competition.
On the other hand, Pakistan is a place where few teams dare tread for security reasons. So we should be grateful that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe agree to tour Pakistan. So, a heartfelt thanks to both those teams!
Sledgehammer, looks like a post on Bangladesh and other minnows is due :)
Whatever you decide to call the teams, Q's point is still valid that the cricketing public will associate the teams with a country or a region. For example the Lahori Badshah's are more "Lahori" than any other team from Lahore in Pakistani domestic competition (atleast in terms of popularity). Further, people would rather watch a team like Lahore than UBL, Pakistan Railways etc, especially when this team takes on in exotic foreign locales.
The way I see it, we will soon have 20/20 teams for all major Pakistani cities with a possible injection of cash by Pakistani businesses etc, and with the games happening in Pakistan as well (there is already talk of that). Maybe the fees from grounds + TV rights etc will appease the PCB then. Then this bandwagon might take off to England where there is huge South Asian community ready to lap up the 20/20 frenzy
Obaid & Sledge - a post on Bangladesh is right below this one.
They are called the ICL Pakistanis Sledge. The issues arised from the commentators and some players referring to it as "Pakistan".
I like the ICL as well. I've mentioned in some other posts that I believe soon enough the ICL will be competition for he ICC rather than the IPL.
Teams from India and Pakistan are already there.
There are talks of ICL teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Sri Lanka for the next competition in October.
There are already 5-6 players from each of these countries in the ICL. Adding another 5-6 will not be that difficult and the ICL could be virtually staging a 20-20 World Cup!
I don't blame the cricketers at all. I for one have been advocating a free market for cricket, a capialist society, where all professional cricketers shud be allowed to choose their employers - IPL or the ICL or the national country or a county. Give the option to the cricketer and let him decide.
Lets see where all this goes.
Per the article on Cricinfo, it is not the use of "Pakistan" by commentators, but the use of "Pakistan XI" by ICL in promoting the tournament.
Personally, I prefer segregation of teams into cities, rather than this national team stuff. Alliance to local teams has been pitiful in Pakistan, and this could change it finally. But the threat is not bad, since ICC may mend its ways.
If PCB is exploring a legal case on the use of the name Pakistan, nothing stops them from doing the same for city names (since they have registered those names in domestic competitions).
The solution is to have an official, international alternative to the ICC, which administers ICL for now, and other things later (maybe even Tests!). Kind of like Rugby League vs Rugby Union, which have completely different boards, setup, teams, etc. But they use national team names.
Then, you can have Pakistan/City teams recognized by the new Cricket Council with whatever names they want. The only problem in Pakistan is that perhaps (I'm just guessing) you have to get govt approval to incorporate a team and register it with an international body. It can get pretty hairy.
For right now, the Lahore Badshahs are registered in India and they administratively have nothing to do with Pakistan.
The current duststorm is not a bad thing, because something good will come out of it at the end. It may take some years, but maybe it's worth it.