Hyderabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to introduce a dedicated fund to reinforce Test cricket according to a report published by ESPNcricinfo. The move will allow the boards outside the Big Three to compete with the lucrative franchise leagues.
The report also mentioned that the initiative is primarily driven by Cricket Australia chair Mark Baird. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have also backed the fund. The idea is to create a central fund so that the players can get a minimum standard match fee which is reported to be around US $10,000.
The fund is likely to make red-ball cricket more attractive but it would also cut down the costs incurred by boards who are not very rich in finances. Earlier this summer, West Indies CEO Johnny Grave had revealed the Caribbean country.
The fund is expected to be around US $15 million and it does have the backing of BCCI secretary Jay Shah and ECB chair Richard Thompson. The report further adds that the plan is in the formative stage currently by the ICC’s executive committee.
It also adds that ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould had stated that the touring Zimbabwe side will receive a touring fee during a one-off Test in 2025. He had proposed the idea of touring teams providing funds to travelling teams a year before and the plans for the same are in motion.
