CRICKET Australia is facing its most crucial 48 hours in recent history to combat plans of Indian investors trying to seize a share of our Twenty20 game in the biggest shake-up since Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Australia's most powerful cricket states, NSW and Victoria, have already sold shares to giant Indian corporations for around $60 million in return for profits from an IPL-type eight-team tournament to start in Australia in January 2012.
CA board members will meet in Melbourne over the next two days to decide whether to accept private equity from Indian and other overseas investors as part of the ownership structure for each franchise, which could be worth $80 million each in a few seasons, four times their initial value of $20 million each.
"It's a moment as big, if not bigger, than the Kerry Packer moment when his role resulted in ODI cricket taking off and basically funding the development of Australian and world cricket for 25 or so years," CA spokesman Peter Young said last night.
The Australian tournament will involve eight teams, two each from NSW and Victoria, and one from each of the other states. It will feature all of Australia's current stars and retired champions like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Sutherland said getting the big decisions right to set up the Big Bash League (BBL) will be one of the most important moments in Australian cricket history.
"If we get BBL right, it will have a significant role to play in cricket continuing to be a major Australian sport," Sutherland said.
Cricket Australia's AGM today will include a detailed presentation on the Big Bash League.
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