The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly considering the introduction of a dedicated fund to support Test cricket, particularly for countries outside the dominant ‘Big Three’—India, Australia, and England. This proposal, championed by Cricket Australia with the backing of the BCCI and ECB, aims to establish a minimum match fee for players, potentially around USD 10,000. The initiative, if approved, could be implemented as early as 2025.
The need for such a fund arises from the financial strain smaller cricket boards face when hosting or participating in Test matches. These financial difficulties are further exacerbated by the growing allure of T20 leagues, which many players now view as more financially rewarding compared to the longer format.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has expressed strong support for the creation of this fund, suggesting that it would be a significant step in ensuring the sustainability of Test cricket globally. Gavaskar also proposed that the home team should bear the hotel and travel expenses of the visiting side, which he believes would ease financial pressures on smaller boards and help them better manage their budgets.
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“It is a good idea for the ICC to suggest that the home team should bear the hotel and internal travel costs of the visiting country’s team,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column. He added that this move would also ensure that visiting teams receive a certain standard of accommodation and travel, preventing scenarios where teams are lodged in subpar facilities.
However, Gavaskar also cautioned against imposing a uniform playing fee across all boards, as the cost of living varies from country to country. He believes that individual boards should retain the discretion to determine player salariess.
“Make no mistake, whatever share the various boards are getting is more than enough to run the game in their countries and still have something left over.”
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Earlier this year, the ICC finalized its financial distribution model for 2024-27, which significantly favored the BCCI, granting it a 38.5% share of the revenue. This allocation is six times larger than that of the ECB (6.89%) and CA (6.25%). This has sparked dissatisfaction among several cricket boards, which feel sidelined by India’s lion’s share of the revenue.
Sunil Gavaskar addressed these concerns, arguing that the funds distributed by the ICC are sufficient for boards to run cricket operations in their respective countries. He even suggested that boards complaining about insufficient funds should undergo forensic audits to ensure proper utilization of the money.
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According to Gavaskar, relying too heavily on ICC funds can lead to complacency among administrators, detracting from efforts to strengthen the game at a grassroots level. “It would be worthwhile to do a forensic audit of where the ICC’s revenue share to the various boards goes,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote, emphasizing that responsible financial management is key to the future of cricket.
