'It will be a flop idea' - Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif blasts Sourav Ganguly’s Super Series idea

Ever since he took over as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former India captain Sourav Ganguly has impressed the experts and fans with his innovative approaches. He organised India’s first pink-ball Test at his home town Kolkata recently against Bangladesh that Virat Kohli’s team won handsomely. And now, the 47-year-old has come up with yet another concept — Super Series — a four-nation series featuring, besides India, England, Australia and another top team which will begin in 2021.

At a time when multi-side tournaments in cricket are no more in vogue (apart from the ICC tournaments and Asia Cup), Ganguly’s idea was bound to receive some reaction. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, for instance, believes that the four-nation tournament will eventually flop. The Super Series is proposed to be rotated every year between the boards of three major financially strong countries and span two weeks. The inaugural edition will be played in India is what Ganguly ideated.

‘Other teams will be isolated’ – Rashid Latif

According to Latif, the concept will only isolate other teams. “By playing such a series, these four countries want to isolate the other member nations which is not good news.  But I think this will be a flop idea like the Big Three model, which was introduced a few years back,” Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs between 1992 and 2003, said in a YouTube video.

It is not just Latif who has expressed doubt over Ganguly’s proposal. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also issued a statement saying they are open to discussions with other members to see whether such a tournament can be worked out.

“We meet regularly with other leaders from the major cricketing nations to share learnings and discuss topics that impact our sport,” the ECB said in a statement, reported The Telegraph. “A four-nation tournament was raised at a meeting with the BCCI in December and we are open to discussions with other ICC members to see if this concept can develop.” Sourav Ganguly recently visited the UK where he met ECB officials along with BCCI secretary Jay Shah and treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal.

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