International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed in a reported statement that the upcoming UAE-based franchise league – International League T20 (ILT20) – will not be granted List A status as UAE is not a Full Member.
According to ICC’s regulations, any T20 tournament organised/hosted by Associate Member nations cannot attain List A T20 status and the cricket governing body made it clear that no exception will be made for ILT20, which will feature numerous high-profile cricketers.
“The UAE ILT20 has been sanctioned by the ICC but List A T20 status will not be granted to this event as it does not meet the criteria in the regulations,” an ICC spokesperson told The Cricketer.
The development also means that the efforts of the players participating in the tournament will not be registered in their formal T20 records or List A numbers.
So, if a batter smashes six sixes in an over or plays exceptional innings, or a bowler bags a fifer or takes a hat-trick, or a player attains a big feat as a fielder, their achievements would be listed in the ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘other T20′ columns of statisticians’ databases.
“T20 competitions hosted by non-Full Members cannot be attributed List A T20 status, and the global governing body recently confirmed to statisticians that no special exemption will be made for the big-money tournament in the UAE, which is set to have its inaugural run later this month,” the report added.
The inaugural ILT20 will commence on 13 January. The league has received multi-year ICC approval and it will be played in a 34-match format across the UAE.
The tournament, comprising 84 International and 24 UAE-based players, has six franchises – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, and Sharjah Warriors.
Joe Root, Kieron Pollard, Moeen Ali, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Alex Hales and Wanindu Hasaranga are among the big names set to complete in ILT20.
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