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BBL-style tournament predicted for England

The possibility of an English BBL equivalent firms with news of broadcaster Sky's interest in a franchise-based tournament

England cricket is set to adopt a Big Bash League-style Twenty20 competition according to reports coming from UK media sources.

British television and communication network Sky has been linked to a possible £40m deal to buy the rights for an eight-team tournament, with the Daily Mail reporting the media company’s interest in a ‘city-based Twenty20 competition to rival the Indian Premier League and Australia Big Bash.’

The competition would reportedly take place during July, with matches played at the eight Test venues in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Durham, and either Bristol or Cardiff as well as two London teams playing at Lord’s and The Oval.

It is also reported that for Sky to purchase the rights, England international players would need to be made available for the tournament, meaning Test cricket would not be played in the UK in July - international red-ball cricket instead limited to May, June and August – and possibly as late as September.

The future of the current 18-team English domestic T20 competition is unclear, but it is understood it will run in addition to the fledgling franchise-based tournament.

Earlier this year, while playing in his first of two confirmed seasons with the Melbourne Stars, England discard Kevin Pietersen expressed his frustration at the county-based T20 competition and called for the ECB to adopt a BBL-style tournament.

"I have played 104 Tests but I am still learning at the Big Bash from the Aussie players," Pietersen wrote in his column for the UK Telegraph.

"I have played against some of the best players in Australia over the last month and challenged myself.

"Whether you have played 100 Tests or none at all, these tournaments are academies for learning.

"Jason Roy of Surrey has just opened the batting with Jacques Kallis. Ben Stokes has been playing with Aaron Finch and James Pattinson.

"I know that will have made them better players and feel good about themselves.

"A guy like Roy can walk around and say he has opened with one of his heroes. He has had a great chance to pick the brains of one of the greatest players to play the game.

"These are the kind of opportunities franchise cricket throws up."

While no comment has been offered by Sky or the ECB as of yet, new England cricket CEO Tom Harrison is currently undertaking a thorough review of the game at home, following ECB chairman Colin Graves’ assertion that domestic cricket needed to be looked at ‘from top to bottom’.