Stephenson: IPL 'positive for cricket'
Date released: 18 April 2008
MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, currently in India for the launch of the Indian Premier League, speaks to lords.org about the new tournament.
Stephenson: Keen to embrace the IPL In a Q&A session for lords.org, Stephenson spells out his hopes for the future of IPL's link-up with the MCC Spirit of Cricket campaign and dispels some of the concerns about the IPL's impact on world cricket:
Q: What impact do you think the IPL will have on international Test Cricket?
A: It’s obviously a big innovation for the world of cricket and the eyes of the world are on the tournament.
MCC were keen to embrace the IPL right from the start and that’s why myself and MCC’s Secretary & Chief Executive, Keith Bradshaw, recently flew to India to meet the IPL’s executive officers.
Signing an MCC Spirit of Cricket agreement was good news for all parties and will clearly demonstrate the player’s determination to play good cricket in the right Spirit – hard but fair.
For the elite players to show their support for the game’s best traditions will have a big impact on all young cricketers throughout the world.
Q: Do you think the IPL spells the end for cricket as we know it?
A: No, not at all. The game is constantly evolving and the advent of the IPL is the next stage of cricket’s development.
We believe the IPL can happily co-exist with the domestic and international game.
Four and five day cricket is the lifeblood of the professional game and Test cricket will still be the yardstick by which all the greats of the game are judged.
It will be interesting to see how things develop but I don’t expect to see top international cricketers commit to only Twenty20 cricket.
Q: What impact will the IPL have on cricket in England?
A: It’s too early to tell. Certainly there will be players who will be looking closely at the tournament and might want to be a part of it in future years.
From our side of things, we were delighted that the IPL agreed to sign up to the MCC Spirit of Cricket campaign.
As cricket embraces Twenty20 it is essential that this respect for the Spirit of Cricket is embraced at all levels of the game; the elite as represented in this tournament and by every county, club and school cricketer throughout the world.
Q: Can Twenty20 cricket and Test cricket co-exist successfully?
A: Yes, they can. MCC’s World Cricket Committee – chaired by Tony Lewis – will meet in May and will discuss everything relating to the IPL and how the tournament might affect the world of cricket as we go forward.
Sitting on the Committee are current and former greats of the game who help us to recommend changes for the good of the game.
Given that two such Committee Members, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, are actually playing in the tournament, we should have some invaluable input at that meeting.
Q: Who do you think will win the IPL?
A: I don’t know, but what I do know is that we’re about to see some great cricket played - in the right spirit - by some of the world’s best cricketers.
I will be present at the opening ceremony in Bangalore, representing MCC, and will see a few matches in the tournament. I’m looking forward to it!
Q: Would MCC welcome an EPL?
A: Clearly, decisions relating to the feasibility and organisation of an EPL are a matter for the England & Wales Cricket Board.
What I can say is that MCC would always want to see the big matches played at 'The Home of Cricket'.
Everyone at MCC has embraced Twenty20 cricket - we've seen some fantastic Middlesex matches played to massive crowds at Lord's for a few years now.
This passion for the short form of the game enabled us to win the rights to host numerous matches – including the final - in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Cup.