The ICC is considering the introduction of a dedicated fund starting in 2025 to strengthen Test cricket and help cricket boards outside the "Big Three" compete with lucrative franchise leagues, enabling them to retain a larger pool of talented players.
This initiative, spearheaded by Cricket Australia chair Mark Baird and supported by the BCCI and ECB, aims to establish a central fund that would provide a standardised match fee for players across various boards, reportedly set at around US $10,000 (approximately £7,600). The goal is to have this fund agreed upon before Christmas, with full implementation expected next year.
The creation of this fund would make Test cricket more appealing to players who currently prefer short-format competitions for higher earnings. It would also alleviate the financial strain on less affluent cricket boards. The nine Test-playing nations outside India, Australia, and England (who would not have access to the fund) often incur significant losses in red-ball cricket, whether hosting matches or touring. For example, earlier this summer, Johnny Grave, the outgoing CEO of Cricket West Indies, disclosed that their tour of Australia at the beginning of the year had cost the board US $2 million.
The fund, anticipated to be around US $15 million (approximately £11 million), has garnered support from key figures like BCCI secretary Jay Shah and ECB chair Richard Thompson. Although still in the early stages and not yet formally discussed by the ICC board or its executive committee, Baird remains optimistic about the initiative's progress.
"It’s encouraging to see momentum building for the Test-match fund," Baird remarked to the Sydney Morning Herald. "We need to eliminate barriers and ensure Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport. Preserving its history and legacy is vital, even as we embrace the newer white-ball formats."
Last month, ECB chief executive Richard Gould announced that Zimbabwe would receive a "touring fee" for their upcoming one-off Test at Trent Bridge on May 22. Gould had proposed the idea of paying visiting teams a fee a year ago, but concrete steps are only now being taken.
The global cricket economy is so skewed that boards have already engaged in reciprocal agreements of various kinds. For instance, the ECB agreed to add three extra T20Is to their 2023 limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, which proved financially beneficial for the region. As a further gesture, following the West Indies Test series in England last month, the ECB will support a West Indies Under-19 tour to the UK.