London: Joe Root has welcomed the ECB’s grand plans for Twenty20 cricket but has underlined the need for it to be shown on terrestrial television in the UK.
The England and Wales Cricket Board have unveiled a blueprint for the future, declaring that its proposed eight-team T20 format was needed to ‘future-proof’ domestic cricket. England’s new Test cricket captain believes the tournament needs to be broadcast on free-to-air television for it to emulate the likes of the Big Bash League in Australia.
“I think it would be a very good idea,” he told BBC Radio 5 live. “You look at other competitions in the world and they have been successful. It would make a huge difference. The coverage we are given by Sky is exceptional. They are fantastic, and continue to be fantastic.
“It is very important the public are given an opportunity to see cricket at a national level, on free-to-air TV. It will be interesting to see how things pan out and what decisions are made.”
English cricket vanished from terrestrial screens following the golden summer of 2005, when millions watched a glorious Ashes series and the game at grass-roots level saw interest rise dramatically.
Sky’s grip over the sport since then has made it difficult for free-to-air broadcasters to compete and viewing numbers have inevitably tailed off.
The new tournament, set to begin in 2020, will have 36 matches played in 38 days of July and August. The ECB has stated it wants “at least eight games” shown by a terrestrial broadcaster.
