On the fringes of the current SA20 2024 in Cape Town, the World Cricket Committee (WCC) of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the stewards of the game, convened to discuss potential initiatives for the betterment of the beautiful game.
The two Test matches of the West Indies’ tour of Australia concluded in a 1-1 tie, and the Committee voiced their regret at not having a series decider. The Caribbean team amazingly recovered to win the second Test in Brisbane, leaving the hosts victorious in the first Test in Adelaide. Additionally, following Rohit Sharma’s team’s historic victory in the Cape Town Test to split the spoils, India’s two-match Test series against South Africa finished in a 1-1 draw.
The WCC recommended that men’s Test series be played across a minimum of three matches from the next ICC Future Tours Programme from 2028 (next cycle) onwards, according to News18. This recommendation was made in support of the exciting Test cricket matches that are currently being played and the significance of maintaining the traditional format of the game.
Our World Cricket committee is currently meeting in South Africa.
A number of important topics are being discussed to help influence the global game.#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/jQOQBQd79I
— Marylebone Cricket Club (@MCCOfficial) February 3, 2024
The world game owes India a debt of gratitude, as the country’s voracious hunger for cricket fuels its wealth. WCC
The WCC of the MCC recognized India’s financial support for the sport. On the other hand, they clarified the need for finding new markets to guarantee the game’s worldwide expansion.
“India deserves special thanks for the global game because of its ravenous appetite for cricket. But this dependence on India obscures the fact that, in an era where media rights beyond the current cycle are by no means certain, the game needs to find new markets to secure its worldwide expansion,” the Committee said.
The statement continued, “The acceleration of the USA as a growth market for cricket would seem a natural consideration with this uncertainty identified and on the back of the momentum built through this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean and the build-up to the 2028 Olympics in the USA.”
The WCC is currently chaired by former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara. Other members of the WCC include Heather Knight, Justin Langer, Eoin Morgan, Ramiz Raja, Ricky Skerritt, Graeme Smith, Clare Connor, and Kumar Dharmasena.
The CEO of West Indies Cricket has made the observation that a significant portion of the board’s money is allocated to the team’s travel costs. The home team keeps the money from media rights sales during a series under the existing arrangement. The WCC wants this arrangement changed to include revenue sharing for touring teams as well.
The World Cricket Committee (WCC) stated that due to a historical expectation of quid pro quo’ touring arrangements, the global economics of the game are severely unbalanced and unfavorable to visiting teams who pay for their travel while the host organization keeps all revenue.
“The committee calls for this model to be reconsidered, with analysis to be conducted on the impact of home bodies absorbing these touring team costs as a way of redistributing income and adding greater context to all future bilateral cricket,” the statement continued, citing evidence that this was now creating inequalities.
During the meeting, there was also a discussion about the necessity of spreading games across countries in a more equitable manner, starting with the 2028 FTP cycle.
“The committee believes that by limiting the locations in which important information can be aired during calendar times, the present FTP’s imbalance unfairly affects certain countries. In order to give countries a more balanced chance to access important dates and opponents, it would be ideal for there to be a more equal distribution of matches starting in 2028, the WCC continued.
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