Via Ed Dixon in sportspro.com: Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment is backing a new global Twenty20 cricket league and is prepared to pump US$500 million into the project, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). The upstart competition would reportedly consist of eight teams and be modelled on tennis and its Grand Slams, with teams to assemble and play matches in four different locations during the year. Discussions are purportedly underway with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the concept is the brainchild of Neil Maxwell, a former first-class cricketer who manages Australian captain Pat Cummins. The SMH adds that the new league has been developed in partnership with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which represents current and former players. SURJ, which is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), would be the largest backer in a consortium of investors.
