"Oh, Mr. Smith, it's not our policy to speak about other leagues" - ILT20 hits back at Proteas legend over harsh comments on UAE league

International League T20 (ILT20) CEO David White responded to Graeme Smith's comments about the UAE-based league. The legendary former Proteas captain took a dig at the tournament, stating that the league is not good for cricket.

In response, White stated that it is not their policy to talk about other leagues. He said that the ILT20 is the world's only league that gives players from associate nations the platform to showcase their talent.

"Oh, Mr. Smith, it's not our policy to speak about other leagues. We are the only league in the world that provides a platform for the associate countries to participate at this level. We've got players from Nepal, Malaysia, USA, Scotland, Netherlands, Namibia and Italy," the ILT20 CEO told Cricbuzz.

Smith had criticized the league, stating that there is no investment into local cricket. White hit back at the South African, saying that he should look at the importance the league has in bringing growth to cricket in the UAE.

"Listen, he's entitled to his comments, but I just think that his comments have been made without doing any investigation, maybe he should have taken the time to look at what we're looking to achieve, what we are achieving and the importance that this league has in terms of the growth of cricket in the UAE, the wider Gulf and the international game. It's easy to dismiss the influence of the UAE. The UAE has got unbelievable facilities and privately invested facilities, and it is the backstop for all the ICC events," he said.

The CEO also highlighted the fact that major tournaments are hosted by the UAE whenever they face issues at the originally decided venues.

"At the drop of a hat, whether it's the Bangladesh riots or the Champions Trophy or the IPL or COVID or whatever... they come to the UAE. It's a turnkey solution. Beautiful stadiums, beautiful facilities, great training facilities, and of course, the UAE is very happy to host that. The contribution that the UAE makes to the global game is massive."

---

Emirates Board is investing in grassroots cricket too, explains ILT20 CEO

Talking about Smith's claim that there is no investment being made into local cricket, ILT20 CEO David White explained how the Emirates Board is involved in grassroots cricket.

"What we've done, we had 300 players registered for a development tournament, of which we had a draft after that. And 25 players have been selected to participate in ILT20. These players are going to rub shoulders with the best players in the world, fantastic coaches, and already the national team, I believe on the back of this experience they've had at ILT20, they've improved. They have qualified for the first time in eight years to play in the Asia Cup," he said.

White added that the league is also making key investments in the community game. He stated that they not only invest in school festivals but have also reintroduced the secondary school competition.

"The other thing that we've done with ILT20 is that we're significantly investing in the community game and the wider Gulf region. We now invest in school festivals. We've reintroduced the secondary schools competition ILT20, and we've supported the Gulf Cup as well financially."