LONDON Oct 27 (Reuters) - England bowling great James Anderson is part of an ambitious project to bring franchise cricket to Italy and help foster the Olympic ambitions of a country more readily associated with soccer and Formula One.
Anderson, who played more than 400 times for England across all formats and took nearly 1,000 wickets, will captain and co-own the Napoli Knights, one of six teams in the Italia T10 league as the 44-year-old extends his career after being released by Lancashire following 25 years.
The 10-over-a-side competition, which will take place over 12 days at the Roma Cricket Ground from November 18, is the brainchild of Nadeem Shahid, a former professional cricketer, and Aamir Akhtar, who helped set up the Everest Premier League in his native Nepal.
High-profile players such as Chris Gayle, Shaun Marsh and Dawid Malan will also feature, joined by members of the Italian national side who impressed earlier this year when they narrowly lost to England at the T20 World Cup.
Franchise cricket is big business, with the brand value of India's IPL worth more than $4 billion and total business value estimated at around $20.6 billion, according to a study by investment bank Houlihan Lokey.
But Shahid, 57, who won England's domestic first-class competition five times with Essex and Surrey, says Italia T10, which will also feature teams representing Rome, Venice and Milan, is more about developing a footprint than making money.
"The potential for cricket in Italy made it a big draw," he said, speaking by phone from South Africa, where he has built businesses in property and technology since retiring from cricket in 2004.
"One of the things that made it attractive is the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) beginning to take it seriously after it became an Olympic sport. Tickets will be free for all the matches, and there will be coaching clinics on the sidelines."
Anderson's company, Activate Sport & Leisure, will be involved in some of those clinics, as Italy looks to develop home-grown talent capable of competing at Olympic level by the time of the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
"Of course, we want Napoli Knights to be competitive and challenge for the title, but we also want to contribute to something that continues to grow well beyond the tournament itself," said Anderson.
'HOME-GROWN TALENT'
At the T20 World Cup in February, Italy fielded a team made up of overseas-based players with Italian heritage, or those born in South Asia who had emigrated to Europe.
"There's a large Indian and Sri Lankan community in Rome and no doubt they will be a huge support for our competition," added Shahid. "But we are hoping to unearth some home-grown talent as well."
The six teams will comprise a mixture of marquee names, established players and those making a name for themselves at U19 level, with 60 players from Italy mingling with overseas talent.
That set up has won the endorsement of the Italian Cricket Federation, and Shahid’s company Apex T10 Ltd holds the rights to franchise cricket in the country for the next four years. The league is awaiting ICC sanction, which would clear the way for overseas players to be released by their home boards.
If the league is a success, Shahid said he hopes to take the blueprint to other associate nations.
"Every country is slightly different; what works in Italy may not be quite right for a Spain or a Malaysia or a Singapore," he said. "But I am hoping a combination of private investment and support at a national and international level can help develop the sport in both Italy and elsewhere."
(Reporting by Iain AxonEditing by Christian Radnedge)
