A dedicated fund of at least USD 15 million is being considered by the International Cricket Council (ICC Planning) for Test cricket. This fund will help address the issue of players migrating to more lucrative T20 franchise leagues and help raise the match fee for players.
According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the initiative, 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 overseas tours and raise the minimum match payment for Test players. It would help national teams like the West Indies, who presently find it difficult to match the pay packages offered by international T20 competitions.
“The fund would cover the costs of overseas tours for struggling countries and ensure a minimum Test payment for all players, thought to be USD 10,000,” the report said.
“It’s wonderful to witness some traction for the Test match fund,” stated CA chairman Mike Baird, who first proposed the idea in January.
“We must remove the obstacles and promote Test cricket as the finest sport in the world. to preserve that heritage and history, which complements the more modern variations of white ball cricket,” he continued.
The three richest cricketing nations, India, Australia, and England, are unlikely to gain from the fund because their players already receive generous salaries.
The report also stated that a disagreement with broadcaster Star may affect the amount of funding the ICC provides for Test cricket.
In order to cut the value of the 2022 broadcast agreement with the ICC to half of what it originally cost—more than USD three billion—the Star network wants to renegotiate it.
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 consistent 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 during its yearly cycle, which runs from October to September, will receive an incredible Rs 45 lakh per match under the new scheme.
Players who appear in between 50 and 75 percent of games will 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.