ECB sides with CA and BCCI to oppose extra global event
The ECB has joined hands with the BCCI and CA to oppose the decision to approve eight global tournaments in the next rights cycle (2023-2031). These cricket boards believe that this will lead to the diminishing of bilateral series between nations and will lower the value of the Test Championship.
The ECB has now decided to oppose ICC's decision to approve additional global events for men's and women's cricket for the next right cycle fearing the damage it will cause to bilateral series and the ICC Test Championship. The ECB Chairman Colin Graves wrote an email to ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney expressing his concerns for the decision taken and explaining the consequences it will have on world cricket.
"The impact of the proposed schedule of ICC events on bilateral cricket is a serious concern for ECB," the mail read.
"The proposed schedule risks compromising the time available and thus the value and integrity of the bilateral cricket calendar for all Member Boards."
Graves also mentioned the effect it will have on ECB's financial model and on the concept of the ICC Test Championship.
"It is our collective responsibility to protect that balance, which is increasingly challenging, but which must be maintained in the interests of the hundreds of millions of fans around the world and also to sustain the business model underwriting international Boards," the mail read.
"ECB cannot support a proposal which seeks to play an additional men's ICC Event in a year where the World Test Championship final is scheduled, as this risks de-valuing the World Test Championship and the future health of Test cricket. As a result of the above, ECB is not in a position to support the current proposal for ICC Events from 2023 - 2031," it mentioned.
The BCCI has also taken a strong stand now with the period of transition finally over and the new members settled in their roles and this may also lead to not signing the Members Participation Agreement.
"We are seriously going to oppose their (new) governance structure, business model and the future tours programme," BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told the Indian Express.
"If it comes to a crunch, then I don't see the BCCI is signing the MPA [Members Participation Agreement]," he further added.
This could lead to a situation of The Big Three vs ICC and only time will tell about further developments. Graves, though, believes that there is no bad blood and that everything can be sorted with a proper plan of the upcoming cycle to preserve the interests of every board involved and also the ICC.
"We are keen to work closely together with ICC to promote the interests of cricket globally, to attract more fans to the game, and to optimise commercial returns without further compromising the existing balance between ICC Events and bilateral cricket," Graves wrote.
"I am of the strong belief that working together as stakeholders, we can establish a calendar of events from 2023 onwards that achieves all of these aims and serves the interests of all ICC Members."