Sri Lanka Cricket’s suspension, the future of ODI cricket and a revival of a high-performance programme aimed on the high Associates and a few Full Members are all set to be on the agenda on the upcoming ICC board assembly in Ahmedabad.
The quarterly conferences, the final of the 12 months, start on Saturday with varied committees earlier than the ICC board assembly set for Tuesday, two days after the 2023 ODI World Cup ultimate. While some of the big-ticket gadgets have been successfully finalised, such because the income distribution mannequin for the 2024-27 cycle of occasions and cricket’s entry into the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, there stay a quantity of talking points.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s board suspension
The ICC’s deputy chair Imran Khwaja is prone to be an influential voice having been engaged to look into potential political interference for some time. He investigated the matter in May throughout a fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka.
The future of ODI cricket
Zimbabwe – co-hosts of the 2027 ODI World Cup together with South Africa and Namibia – are advocating for an evaluation to be performed over the present World Cup to gauge its international reputation.
“This World Cup came at the same time as the rugby World Cup, so it would be a good opportunity to compare the audience and measure our global impact as a sport,” Zimbabwe Cricket chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani mentioned.
“It felt like the Rugby World Cup was more popular, especially in countries where both sports are popular. I don’t think the problem is with the ODI format… there aren’t enough teams in the World Cup, even 14 isn’t enough. And there won’t be context without the Super League.
“We want ODI cricket, we will not afford to not have it. It remains to be a money-maker for us and lots of nations.”
High-performance programme revival
The ICC’s high-performance programme is set for a revival, having been scrapped late last decade, after running for 15 years. The programme was aimed at top Associate nations and included player development pathways and specialised administrative structures to help professionalise those deemed close to Full Member status.
The new programme, in a point of difference, will involve Full Members Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and possibly others. It has been resurrected as the ICC look to establish development programmes through funds from its next four-year commercial cycle. Funding from the programme is hoped to encourage more fixtures between these countries, including A tours and women’s cricket matches.
An as yet unspecified amount has been mooted, taken from the ICC’s overall revenues, to be divided among these boards. But specific details, including the countries involved and total funding allocated, will be revealed at the meeting.
Funding from revenue distribution model set aside to create reserves
Some of the funds allocated to members in the new distribution model will be diverted into a retained surplus fund totalling US$100 million a year, which will be invested and distributed back to members at a later time.
The interest accrued will be distributed according to the contribution by the member in what is seen as a prudent financial measure with uncertainty over what type of media rights deal will be struck for the cycle of 2028-31. Full Members will contribute US$ 88.8 million to this fund – of which the BCCI will put US$ 38.5 million – annually and the Associates US$11.2 million.
But not everyone is satisfied with the arrangement. With plans to build a cricket stadium in Dublin, Ireland want to receive its full US$18 million a year allocation. Around US$3 million a year of their funding is earmarked for the surplus fund and so too Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
“We want funding to do this [build infrastructure],” Cricket Ireland high-performance director Richard Holdsworth said. “To withhold what it seems wish to be about US$12 million over 4 years….perhaps that is for the members to make the suitable selections as to whether or not they stick cash into reserves or spend all of it now.
“For us, we’ve got a lot of things to invest in and we need to do that now. We can’t wait four years.”
Cricket on the Olympics
Some boards hope that greater than six groups per gender could be included in subsequent Olympics after Los Angeles.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist primarily based in Perth