On July 11, in a series of recommendations, the MCC’s World Cricket Committee suggested that the ICC establish a Test fund to support nations in need of financial assistance for their Test match programs. They proposed conducting an audit of operational costs and comparing them to commercial returns in order to identify the nations requiring support. However, ICC Chairman Greg Barclay believes that the recently-approved revenue distribution model will already provide more funds to Test-playing nations. While exact figures for each country’s share have not been disclosed yet, Barclay stated that teams will have the discretion to allocate the additional funds towards Test cricket. He also mentioned that there have been no significant discussions about creating a separate Test fund, as the current revenue distribution model should suffice.
Regarding the future of bilateral ODIs and the potential return of the ODI Super League before the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice was non-committal. He acknowledged that discussions have taken place regarding the structure of the cricket calendar and the need to add context to bilateral matches. The success of the World Test Championship in providing context to Test matches has been noted, and discussions are ongoing about incorporating a similar approach for ODIs in the future. However, no concrete proposals have been made yet. Furthermore, Allardice mentioned that while there is a desire to include more teams in the 50-over World Cup, the impact of the ODI Super League on qualification has raised some concerns. Therefore, decisions about the structure of future tournaments will require thorough consideration and evaluation.
When asked about potentially limiting the number of overseas players in existing T20 leagues such as the IPL and GT20 Canada to four, Allardice clarified that regulations would be implemented on a case-by-case basis depending on the existing agreements in place. He emphasized that any changes would be determined by the individual events and would not have a one-size-fits-all approach. Existing tournaments would be subject to their existing commercial agreements, but new regulations would be implemented for future events to enhance the game.
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