The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering creating a special Test cricket fund worth at least USD 15 million. This fund would help with player match fees and solve the issue of talented players leaving for more lucrative T20 franchise leagues.
According to a report in “The Sydney Morning Herald,” the plan, which was put forth by Cricket Australia (CA), has the backing of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who is the front-runner to be the next ICC Chairman.
The fund would pay for sending teams on abroad trips and raise the minimum match salary for Test players. It would help national teams like the West Indies, which presently find it difficult to match the pay packages offered by international T20 competitions.
“The fund would ensure a minimum Test payment for all players, thought to be USD 10,000, and pay the costs of overseas tours for struggling countries,” the report stated.
“It’s fantastic to see some momentum behind the Test match fund,” CA chairman Mike Baird, who floated the concept in January, said.
“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,” he added.
Since India, Australia, and England are the three richest cricketing nations and already pay their players high incomes, it seems unlikely that the fund will help them.
But the report also stated that the amount of funding made available by the ICC for Test cricket will probably also hinge on a disagreement with broadcaster Star.
The Star network wants to renegotiate a broadcast agreement with the ICC for 2022 and cut the deal’s worth in half from the more over USD three billion initial cost.
Earlier in the year, the BCCI implemented an incentive program for the men’s Test cricket players in India with the aim of motivating them to focus on the longest format of the game and rewarding their constant efforts.
In addition to the Test match fees of Rs 15 lakh, a player who participates in at least 75% of India’s Test matches within its yearly cycle, which runs from October to September, will receive an incredible Rs 45 lakh each match under the new program.
Players who appear in between 50 and 75 percent of games would receive a bonus of Rs 30 lakh every time they play. If they are chosen for the squad, the non-playing members will receive half of the total compensation.
