CRICKET
Why the PSL is important for Pakistan
O
ne of the biggest problems with media coverage
of cricket in Pakistan is that it is almost entirely
fuelled by supposed controversies. To follow the
news this last Monday was to be greeted by a cavalcade
of dismay - from snubbed cricketers to ignored ones all as part of the reaction to the launch of the Pakistan
Super League (PSL). In a transitional society like Pakistan's, the response to change is often met by outcry
over the loss of tradition, and the outrage over the PSL's
launch - both among journalists and players - was the
response of those who expected to be greeted by the
same old same old. The fact is that T20 is the sport's
newest format, and the organisation of glamorous and
lucrative domestic T20 leagues isn't just a fad but a rapidly growing opportunity for those running the sport. A
part of me definitely understands the balking at the celebrity-fuelled PSL launch - and the event was far from
being perfect - but judging by the reactions, few people
seemed to understand why exactly this event was the
way it was. Let's begin by addressing the dynamics of
the launch and why they were so. When T20 was first
officially launched in England, it was created as a way to
involve more people in the game. As I've written before,
this format is the fairest to the modern spectator - as
the sort who can regularly afford the luxury of attending matches lasting the full work day are either comfortably well-off or worryingly irresponsible. This was why
the focus of the marketing for T20 in England, and later
in Australia and other countries, was on getting families
and kids to attend, and this approach was hugely successful. Closer to home, the IPL revolutionised the approach by seeking out the least interested segments of
a saturated local market and appealing to their interests
- a fun and safe day out, a chance to be entertained
by things beyond cricket, the intrigue of celebrity and
implied hedonism. Soon enough, all sorts of cricket agnostics in India found themselves enthralled by the IPL's
attraction. The point here isn't to extol the virtues of
marketing but to underline how closely related this style
of marketing is to this code of cricket. Cricket has long
been played in a way where the top layer of the competition involves international teams playing each other. Yet
this is built upon a vast network of domestic cricket, and
as the sport modernises, it is essential to have sustainable domestic systems. Many of the old domestic events
and tournaments that existed in every cricket country
have now given way, often because of changing trends
and lifestyles. Given that T20 was precisely invented to
save England's domestic game, it makes sense that domestic T20 leagues have quickly become a significant
source of revenue for many boards. The onus on these
leagues is to provide a product that offers what previous
domestic tournaments didn't, and this usually boils down
to star players and a heavy dose of marketing and, in the
South Asian case, celebrity. The promise of such revenu