Cricket Legends Hail EUT20 Belgium League as Game-Changer for European Players

The EUT20 Belgium Cricket League is part of the growing wave of T20 franchise cricket taking root across Europe. The league's inaugural edition will be played from June 4-14 in Brussels, featuring multiple franchise teams and a roster of international talent that reflects the global appeal of the shortest format of the game.

Among the confirmed players across franchises for the tournament are David Warner, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Martin Guptill, Sakib Ul Hasan, Colin Munro, Wayne Parnell, Chris Lynn, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shoaib Malik, Deep Airee, and Rohit Paudel, making it a star-studded T20 leagues to debut in Europe.

Speaking to ANI, the EUT20 League Ambassador, Eoin Morgan, said the tournament marks an exciting phase for Belgian and associate cricket, reflecting the sport's rapid global growth since the rise of franchise leagues. He highlighted that it offers young players in Belgium and Europe a rare chance to learn from and compete alongside top international cricketers. Morgan expressed hope that the league will succeed and have a lasting impact.

"It's an extremely exciting time for Belgian cricket, associate cricket, and cricket in general. Cricket has grown a huge amount in the last two decades since the start of IPL, essentially, and a lot of leagues around the world are capitalising on the opportunity. And for a young cricketer growing up in Belgium or Europe, this is a huge opportunity to go and rub shoulders with some of the best players in the world, but also some of the players who have been there and done that at the highest level," Morgan said.

"So I'm extremely excited. An opportunity like this doesn't exist in associate cricket, so hopefully it is a success and is here for the long term," he added.

Morgan said such leagues provide a crucial platform for talented young players from countries with limited cricket infrastructure, helping them find a pathway to the top level. He said that they also offer global visibility--similar to how emerging talents gain recognition through major leagues like the IPL.

"What it does is, cricketing nations where there isn't a rigorous infrastructure available for a young player to come through, a talented young player to find a pathway to go and play at the top level, it creates a platform to elevate that young player. See, currently at the IPL with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, last year just bursting onto the scene as a fourteen-year-old. So for other leagues around the world, they create that opportunity to be broadcast around and allow people to see them playing," said Morgan.

Former Indian cricketer Kiran More said he is excited about the EUT20 Belgium League, calling it excellent news for Europe. He noted that it offers a rare and valuable opportunity for local cricketers, who usually only play in smaller leagues, and believes the tournament will grow into a major event over time.

"I am extremely excited, as the EUT20 Belgium League is taking place in Europe for the very first time. This is excellent news for European nations and presents a tremendous opportunity for their cricketers, particularly because they rarely get such chances otherwise. They typically play in smaller, local leagues, so this represents a fantastic opportunity for them, especially given that it is a historic first occurrence. This marks the beginning of what is set to become a massive tournament; it will grow steadily, year by year, from the first season to the second and third," More told ANI.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also said that he is excited about the tournament, noting the presence of top international players. He expressed confidence that it will be successful in Belgium and could help produce future stars who may dominate world cricket in the coming years.

"I'm very much excited about this tournament. I think it will be a great tournament with all the big names of the game already there. So I'm very hopeful that it will be a good success in Belgium. I'm hopeful that there will be some great talents who, in the future five to ten years, they'll rule the cricketing world," Shakib told reporters.

- ANI