JOHANNESBURG – Haroon Lorgat has just arrived back at his offices at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg.
The chief executive of Cricket South Africa has been locked in meetings all morning in Pretoria. He barely has any time to take a breather. He has a full schedule for the rest of the day.
Before he can do anything, Lorgat has to respond to the hundreds of e-mails that have piled up in his inbox.
Being the CEO of CSA is a demanding job – but Lorgat has had plenty more to do in the last few months. That’s because he is busy planning South Africa’s newest T20 tournament, which will debut in just under eight months.
Lorgat has a ripe smile on his face. He says he is busy finalising an agreement with a “big star cricketer” to play in the upcoming T20 tournament.
Lorgat, however, won’t reveal who the star cricketer is.
“Unfortunately I can’t reveal which players will be playing at the T20 tournament,” he says. “But what I can tell you is that some of the best cricketers in the world have expressed an interest.”
For months, Lorgat and Cricket South Africa have been hard at work planning the T20 Global Destination League.
The tournament, which will comprise of eight privately-owned franchises, will aim to attract high-profile internationals in a model similar to the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash League and the Caribbean Premier League.
The tournament is set to run every year for the next 10 years.
While it has come with plenty of hard work, Lorgat says it was a no-brainer for Cricket South Africa to launch the new T20 tournament.
“T20 is the format that everyone is embracing,” he says. “It is a revenue generator, and it’s a very attractive format. By launching a new T20 tournament, we will also attract new fans to the game, and new audiences.
“The league or franchise concept has done very well elsewhere in the world. We’ve got a very favourable time zone, and we need to make use of that.”
Lorgat says he has been “astounded” by the level of interest shown by cricketers and fans around the world.
“The feedback we have received has been exceptional,” says Lorgat.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. We knew that South Africa is a great location and that people will want to come here. The level of that interest is amazing.”
There has also been worldwide interest from companies and individuals interested in taking ownership of a franchise team that will participate in the Global Destination League.
Lorgat revealed that Cricket South Africa has received more than 150 expressions of interest over ownership of the eight franchises in their new T20 league.
Last Friday's expression of interest deadline revealed that the most likely owners will be local or Indian.
“Interest, however, has spread across the world. I’m amazed that there has even been interest in Australia. We have also had interest from Singapore, the UK, the US, and the Middle East.”
With major international cricket stars expressing a great interest in participating in the new tournament, as well as plenty of foreign investment, Lorgat is confident that the tournament will be a resounding success.
“We are on track with our planning and our arrangements, and let’s hope that nothing is insurmountable in terms of our preparations.”
While Lorgat is certain that the tournament will prove a success, he is under no illusion that it will be an easy feat.
“This is about brand South Africa and positioning the country across the globe for that period. It’s like the World Cup coming every year into South Africa.
“We are expecting foreign tourists, foreign players, our own Proteas. The best players congregating for that period playing.
“That, in itself, brings you the challenge. There are logistical arrangements that we have to get through.
“There are work permits, there’s visas, and there is staging of those venues that we have to get ready every day for a six- to eight-week period, which all brings challenges.”
Lorgat adds that the tournament will also provide a platform for domestic cricketers to showcase their talents, and to gain invaluable experience from established cricketers competing at the tournament.
“This tournament will give you high-quality, competitive cricket. It will bring in foreign players to play alongside our domestic stars, so it’s the perfect platform for our local stars to grow.
“It could well be the opportunity for young players to show their quality and stake a claim in the national team.”