I don't get it

You just have to cast an eye around the cricketing world and reflect on the number of T20 leagues that are mushrooming to comprehend what an exciting arm this format is.

Its tentacles spread to areas previously void of "wallop" leather and willow activity and, while close scrutiny of expansion is essential with fiscal areas in particular requiring attention, no-one can deny its popularity.

This short format is quite simply storming the second most popular game on the planet.

That being the case it would seem impossible to stuff up a showcase event featuring the world's best teams over a short space of time. Well, the ICC have tried their best to do exactly that in Sri Lanka.

As I mentioned in a previous column, how could this prestigious event that attracts substantial eyeballs from all over the globe, including important new markets, be played during the monsoon season?

A limp press release from the governing body this week informed us all that the Future Tours Programme was congested and that was the only available gap. Guess what? The ICC schedule the Future Tours Programme!

Also, how on earth did the ICC sanction the bizarre idea that the very first game to showcase the tournament would take place in extremely remote Hambantota and the mouth-watering opponents would be Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe?

That just simply defies any logic whatsoever and as yet we have still not heard any explanation. What was wrong with the hosts taking on the reigning champions in a high-octane game in the capital city of Sri Lanka to kick things off?

In addition, the scheduling of the Group Stage has been a disaster. Game after game has been a mismatch in what appears to be a concerted effort to ensure the big guns qualify. To no-one's surprise that has happened and after what was essentially a week of practice games, the eagerly-awaited Super Eights are upon us.

Except for one more thing. Because of the ludicrous monsoon season scheduling, the upcoming games in Colombo are under serious threat due to incessant rains and the teams competing there will be affected, mark my words. That is a given so for the sake of the success of the tournament all concerned need to act now.

The Pallekele Stadium is approximately a six hour drive from Colombo so surely a sensible thing to do right now is to move some of those Super Eight games to central Sri Lanka. There has been no rain there for seven months and the locals are genuinely praying for divine intervention to break that drought.

I understand that this will be a logistical challenge from most angles but the last thing this pinnacle event needs is further demeaning.

Sri Lanka is now such a joyous place to visit. It deserves a celebration of cricket and now is the time to correct initial wrongs.