In the coming days, it will be revealed who will be the next Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, even before the official announcement, there is strong speculation that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah is poised to take on this role. For the past six years, New Zealand’s Greg Barclay has held the position, but this will be his last term. The deadline for applying for the new Chairman role is on the 27th of this month, and just before this, Jay Shah has played a masterstroke that has significantly strengthened his candidacy.
According to a report by the Sydney Herald, the ICC is keen to make Test cricket more exciting amid the growing popularity of T20 leagues worldwide. The ICC also wants to ensure that players from countries other than the “Big Three” (India, Australia, and England) receive substantial earnings. To achieve this, the ICC is planning to create a separate fund of 15 million dollars dedicated to Test cricket, which is expected to be approved soon. This initiative also aims to prevent young players from shifting entirely to T20 cricket.
Cricket Australia (CA) proposed this idea, and Jay Shah strongly supported it at a critical time when the new ICC Chairman is about to be announced. According to reports, Shah is currently the frontrunner in this race.
Players to Receive Minimum Match Fees
With the establishment of this fund, Test players will be paid at least 10,000 US dollars per match, which is approximately 8.5 lakh rupees in Indian currency. Additionally, this fund will help cover the costs for teams to travel overseas for matches. This means that players from countries like Pakistan, Ireland, and Afghanistan will also benefit from better match fees.
Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird expressed his satisfaction with the efforts to establish a Test match fund. He emphasized the need to remove boundaries for Test cricket and promote this format as one of the best, preserving its history and legacy.
Fund Amount Dependent on Broadcaster Deal
However, it is unlikely that the “Big Three” boards (India, Australia, and England) will benefit from this 15 million dollar fund, as they already pay their players well. The final amount available for the fund will depend on the ongoing dispute with broadcaster Star Sports. The issue is that the Star Group wants to renegotiate the 2022 deal with the ICC, seeking to reduce the original contract amount from three billion to half of that.
