MUMBAI: After Kerry Packer and the Australian television industry first changed the face of the game in 1976, followed by India's 1983 World Cup win that resulted in the birth of the sport's greatest-ever economy, and eventually the launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that revolutionized things forever, this week marks the beginning of yet another global whirl that could alter the course of cricket once again for the fourth time in 45 years.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) are currently locked in a fierce battle to stay a step ahead of each other as both get ready to launch their respective T20 leagues. The advent of these leagues - alongside IPL locking months of March, April and May for itself; ICC getting ready to host a world event every year; and other T20 leagues around the world grabbing whatever space gets left inside a calendar year - is set to further shrink bilateral cricket forever, going forward.
