T10 tournament in Malaysia postponed on start date

A T10 tournament in Malaysia involving several major international players has been postponed on the day it was due to begin, with organisers citing "logistical issues" after alleged payment problems.

The Pro10 Malaysia, founded by Neeraj Sareen and endorsed by the former India player and coach Ravi Shastri, was due to run from January 30 until February 2. The league was supposed to feature several recent internationals, including Andre Russell, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Chris Woakes, Wayne Parnell and Chris Lynn.

Some players and staff who travelled to the tournament were told by staff at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur that their rooms would be charged to personal accounts "due to non-fulfilment of the agreed payment terms by the organiser", in correspondence from the hotel's manager seen by ESPNcricinfo.

One player who travelled to Malaysia said there were "big issues left, right and centre" on the ground: "[It was] absolutely carnage, and obvious nothing was organised on time… They've been pretty vocal about no one taking the field till people are paid."

Many of the high-profile players who had signed up for the league never travelled to Malaysia as they waited for flight details that never arrived.

The league's postponement follows the dramatic mid-season collapse of a similar pop-up, short-form league in the Cayman Islands last year, and will put scrutiny on the ICC's sanctioning process for 'official' cricket.

The Pro10 was sanctioned by the MCA but not the ICC, since it was not due to feature more than four Full Member players who had represented their country in the last 24 months - the minimum threshold for ICC sanctioning, per the global governing body's regulations.

The league said in a statement: "The Pro10 Malaysia cricket tournament has been postponed to a later date, post the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup in India, due to logistical issues. New dates will be announced in due time.

"All the stakeholders, including cricketers, match officials and the Malaysian Cricket Association, are aligned with the postponement and have extended full support to the tournament."

The Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) - which sanctioned the league - said that it was "hopeful" the league would still take place. "The event promises our top players a great opportunity to play against global players and set their sights at other leagues," the MCA said in a statement. "We are hopeful it will go ahead as planned once fresh dates are finalised by Pro10 Group who are tournament owners."

The Pro10 Group and the MCA were contacted for comment. The ICC declined to comment.