ICC might fund nations outside Big Three to rekindle Test cricket

The primary intent is to create a central fund to provide a minimum standard fee of USD 10,000 $ to attract players to prioritise the red-ball format over franchise cricket. The initiative came out off Mark Baird, the chairman of ACB with support from BCCI and ECB.  

"It's fantastic to see some momentum behind the Test-match fund," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "We need to take away the barriers and encourage Test cricket to be the best of the best. To retain that history and that legacy, which goes alongside the newer forms of white-ball cricket,” Baird told the Sydney Herald. 

The fund is expected to be around USD 15 million $ and is learned to have the backing of ECB chairman Richard Thompson and BCCI secretary Jay Shah. It is currently at a nascent stage of conversation and is yet to be made official. With various players opting out of national teams’ central contracts to prioritize franchise cricket all over the world, Test cricket is becoming the sufferer.

Not only will the decision make Test cricket more attractive but also reduce the cost incurred by a board to play overseas. Cricket West Indies was one of the teams that recently shared its losses for touring away from home. Similarly, Cricket Zimbabwe’s touring fees will be bored by the ECB in their next bilateral Test series.