Cricket West Indies (CWI) are advocating wholesome changes in international cricket in a bid to protect the competitiveness of the game.
According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, a new proposal formulated by the West Indies Cricket Board is seeking radical changes in the distribution of funds among the members by the ICC as well as the broadcasting rights agreements currently in force.
The proposals sought by the CWI will be taken up for discussion in the upcoming ICC Annual Conference which begins in Dubai on Thursday.
“There has never been more money in the sport,” CWI chief executive Johnny Grave was quoted as saying by the publication.
“The game must adopt more equitable revenue sharing to ensure that cricket is sustainable in all countries, that the game grows throughout the world and that there is a competitive balance among teams to generate interest among fans,” he added.
The report states that international cricket is currently skewed in the favour of the Big Three – India, Australia and England. All major ICC events and tournaments in the period between 2016-23 are being held in the three countries and this, CWI believes, is highly detrimental to the competitiveness of international cricket.
CWI believe the dominance of the Big Three is a big red flag.
West Indies are pushing for a more equitable sharing of the ICC’s revenues and major events and has further proposed that the hosting rights to every second World Twenty20 be awarded to an emerging nation.
Another key recommendation by CWI is for all international broadcast rights for a bilateral series between two full ICC members should be pooled between members and sold on a collective basis. Further, it states that the touring team should receive 20 per cent of the domestic broadcast rights.
The West Indies have argued that the Big Three already have highly lucrative broadcasting deals and thus, should allow for a more equitable sharing of ICC’s revenues among the members.
Whether these proposals by CWI are adopted at the ICC Annual Conference remains to be seen.
