Australia, India, and England Team Up to Save Test Cricket with New Fund
Melbourne [Australia], August 23: An exciting new initiative from Australia aims to create a fund worth $15 million or more to keep the best players interested in Test cricket. This plan is set to be adopted by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Many major cricketing nations are currently facing competition from lucrative T20 franchise leagues, like the Indian Premier League (IPL), which offer significant financial benefits. To counter this, Australia is working closely with India and England to develop a strategy to boost Test cricket.
This fund will ensure a minimum payment for all Test players and help cover the costs of overseas tours for struggling teams. For example, West Indies spent $1 million to send their men’s and women’s teams to Australia last summer.
Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird, who proposed the idea in January, is pleased with the progress. “It is fantastic to see some momentum behind the Test match fund,” Baird 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.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah also supports the fund. “There should be a dedicated fund for Tests, whether it is $5 million, $10 million or more. It is expensive to host teams for five-day Tests, so we are preparing for it. If the [ICC] board agrees, we are ready to do it,” Shah said.
The fund is unlikely to directly benefit the three most dominant cricketing nations: India, Australia, and England. The move to start a Test fund began after South Africa sent a second-string team to New Zealand because their top players were busy with the SA20 league.
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh criticized the game’s administrators, saying they “do not care” about Test cricket. Following Waugh’s statement, Baird agreed that action was necessary. “If we are in a position that national teams are not being prioritized, then we have got a lot of work to do,” Baird said.
Doubts Revealed
Test cricket -: Test cricket is a long format of the game of cricket, usually played over five days. It is considered the traditional and most challenging form of the sport.
$15 million fund -: $15 million is a large amount of money, and a fund is a pool of money collected for a specific purpose. In this case, the money is to support Test cricket.
Cricket Australia -: Cricket Australia is the organization that manages cricket in Australia. They make decisions about how cricket is played and organized in the country.
BCCI -: BCCI stands for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. It is the organization that manages cricket in India.
Mike Baird -: Mike Baird is the chairman of Cricket Australia. A chairman is a person who leads a group or organization.
Jay Shah -: Jay Shah is the secretary of the BCCI. A secretary in this context is a high-ranking official who helps manage the organization.
T20 leagues -: T20 leagues are cricket tournaments where each game is played in a shorter format called Twenty20, which lasts about three hours. These leagues are very popular and players can earn a lot of money.
SA20 league -: The SA20 league is a T20 cricket league in South Africa. It is similar to the IPL in India, where teams compete in a shorter format of cricket.
