It was at a time when the sport's only limited-overs format was starting to leave more people open-mouthed from yawning than amazement. Stadiums, particularly at domestic matches, were lucky to have a row of seats full, never mind a whole stand, and few besides those who sat in that row knew any of the local cricketers.

A clutch of corporate geniuses introduced a season curtain-raiser, featuring four of the country's provincial teams, who would play in two semifinals and a final on one day.

It was intended as 120 overs of smash and grab cricket, not much longer than a one-day international but at least twice as exciting. The stands filled, the drinks flowed, the fun floated, cricke-tainment was born.

Since then, twenty-over cricket has evolved far beyond a few showpiece matches to kick-start a season. In some places, like India, it has a season of its own. In most others, the domestic twenty-over competition is the only potential money-maker and crowd-puller. It's where faces are recognised and loyalties built. Here, it's because of the Pro20 that names like Davy Jacobs and Ethan O'Reilly have been made.

Cricket SA is spending the winter trying to secure a sponsor to replace Standard Bank, who introduced dancers, the dunk tank and hard-hats to Pro20.

The tournament will already include a seventh franchise, made up of the best players from the new semi-professional league, but where there is cash, there can surely be more flash.

Forget the pyrotechnic displays or singers performing as a sideshow, the money should go into the cricket itself. Maybe it can be used to contract some of the world's best twenty-over cricketers.

Imagine the likes of the toe-crushing Lasith Malinga bowling for the Lions, the free-spirited David Warner smacking boundaries for the Warriors or the heavyweight Kieron Pollard muscling in for the Knights? Imagine Yusuf Pathan appearing in our very own South African Premier League? Oh wait, that is not possible.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is unlikely to allow Pathan, or any of his countrymen, to be released to play in a tournament that belongs to a country other than their own.

That much was evident when they blocked their players from joining the Sri Lankan Premier League, which was due to take place this month. The resultant fallout has meant that the league has been postponed, because without the Indian players and an Indian market to broadcast the tournament to, the event is set up to fail.

Although the Indian cricket board cited concerns over players' financial security as the reason for its disapproval, it's closer to the truth that it will simply stand in the way of any country that attempts to replicate the Indian Premier League.

It's the board's way of asserting its worryingly growing hegemony on world cricket and condemns the twenty-over competitions in every other country to nothing more than insular, domestic events with sideline acrobats and crazily coloured lights.