The Pakistan Junior League

Will other countries (such as England) take inspiration?

I followed a bit of yesterday’s PJL draft with some interest, and as it progressed, I started to think how other countries could take inspiration from it and create similar leagues themselves.

Regular readers of my work may understand that one thing I’m keen on doing as a bit of a USP as a recruiter is finding young players who have the ability to be value for money currently, in conjunction with the potential to improve into a superstar. I’d rather invest time and effort into helping a young player than achieve this, than boosting a veteran’s retirement pot, at any rate.

So much in terms of making the grade as a young player is down to the opinion of a one, or a handful of people. If you’re in an environment where you can’t thrive, or for whatever reason your coach doesn’t rate you, then you could easily be lost to the system - it is clear to me that there are, and have been plenty of talented players away from the professional game, and the work that SACA have done this year is a clear illustration of that as well. Previous to SACA, there were the Unicorns in England as well, who played in the Second XI leagues and helped a number of players earn contracts from that exposure.

Having this greater level of exposure at a younger age, potentially in a different playing environment at a franchise, can only be a good thing for a young player’s development. It’s why I’d love to see the equivalent of the JPL, for example, in England. Here’s how I’d do it:-

• Make the league open to any player aged 21 years or below at the 1st April of that calendar year

• Hold a draft for the 8 Hundred teams who would play a condensed 100 ball junior tournament over the course of several weeks

• Leave a junior wildcard slot available for each main Hundred team to pick a player from the tournament

• All matches on free to air or live streaming

If you do this, I’d be amazed if at least one or two new superstars weren’t found every year. Perhaps they might even be players who would otherwise have slipped the net, or flourished away from a coach they didn’t enjoy working with - all positives for both players and the sport. Plus, this gives a greater opportunity for more meritocracy for younger players, who it seems like if they’re not on the England pathway, get fewer opportunities - certainly my modelling work for player value suggests that the value in the marketplace tends to be with late developers, as opposed to those who were highlighted as potential England players from their teenage years.

It’s all a win-win. The tournament doesn’t even need to make money to be viable, as long as it was broadly break-even, that’s fine. If it helped England find a new player or two to work with and develop each year, a certain cost can even be thrown at the process - because there will be an £x figure which England know costs them to develop one player for the national team. As long as the cost of the tournament is in line with this figure, then it’s not going to be bad value for money.

The way that cricket is going, finding the next short-format superstar is big business. If a tournament like this can accelerate that process, then it’s a no-brainer to happen.