ICC’s AGM: T20 World Cup Finances, USA Cricket Spotlight And Test’s Future

The International Cricket Council’s series of meetings started on Friday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a shake up of the board after the Associate Member Directors election.

Here are the pressing issues expected to be thrashed out although some may not end up being discussed.

T20 World Cup Finances

As I reported earlier in the week, the U.S. leg of the T20 World Cup has come under scrutiny with an audit believed to be in the works but likely to not be finished in time for the Annual General Meeting.

With USA Cricket mired in internal woes, T20 Incorporated was the entity established in the U.S. to deliver the T20 World Cup and its handling of the event is expected to be critiqued.

The sheen of a momentous event, with matches being played in New York, Dallas and Lauderhill, wore off due to on-and-off the field issues.

There is a particular focus on the much-hyped modular stadium in Long Island and whether there was a cost blow out on a ground that received criticism for its sluggish drop-in pitch with batting proving particularly difficult.

The ground was built in just a few months and – as I reported in April – was pegged at $30 million.

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“Need to see how much was spent on New York and whether it was worth it considering the ground was torn down straight after (the U.S. leg had finished),” an ICC board director told me.

Some teams had to battle logistical issues. Just a couple of weeks before the event, Ireland was told its accommodation would be moved to Brooklyn having originally been earmarked to stay near the ground in Long Island. The round-trip journey from the ground to their hotel took up to four hours.

Their hotel in Brooklyn was wedged between fire and police stations, with blaring sirens through the night not ideal preparation. There was no room service or restaurant inside the hotel, forcing players and staff to order Uber Eats.

USA Cricket set to be sanctioned

As I first reported, USA Cricket is set to be put ‘on notice’ amid ongoing turmoil, a sanction that would move the governing body closer to a suspension of its membership.

The ICC has deemed USA Cricket non-compliant of its Associate Membership criteria.

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USA Cricket is also deemed to “not have a fit-for purpose administrative structure”. Familiar warring has rocked USA Cricket with a spate of resignations highlighted by chief executive Dr. Noor Murad having his contract terminated in March just a few months into the role. A recruitment process to find his replacement is still ongoing.

If USA Cricket is put ‘on notice’ at the AGM and remains non-compliant after one year, it could then face suspension and ultimately expulsion as a member.

As I reported in April, USA Cricket’s funding is being ‘controlled’ by the ICC.

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India-Pakistan set to squabble ahead of Champions Trophy

On the sidelines, as it almost mandatory at board meetings, foes India and Pakistan will engage in likely heated discussions over next year’s Champions Trophy. It is the first time Pakistan is hosting an ICC event since the 1996 World Cup.

But international cricket has steadily returned to Pakistan after a period of isolation and they hosted last year’s Asia Cup.

Due to intense political differences, the countries don’t play one another in bilateral cricket, but tensions have escalated with the event to be held in Pakistan. The last time India played in Pakistan was in 2008.

A hybrid format was installed at last year’s Asia Cup, with matches played in Sri Lanka – including the knockout stages – due to India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan.

A similar proposal is likely to be shoehorned into the Champions Trophy, but the Pakistan Cricket Board, for now, are reportedly refusing to yield and want the entire event played at home.

But as is mostly the case in cricket, the all-powerful Indian cricket board usually gets its way.

Test cricket’s future

There has been much talk over Test cricket’s future, with the traditional format over five days proving too expensive for smaller countries to sustain. Dwindling popularity and relevance in some parts of the world are also issues.

As I reported in 2021, there were calls from smaller Full Member countries to resurrect a Test Match Fund.

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At the ICC board’s quarterly meetings in March, a blueprint to save Test cricket was presented by New Zealand board director Martin Sneddon. According to The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age, the report was ignored by cricket powers India, Australia and England.

Some board directors believe the issue is at a stalemate. “It was an informal paper by Sneddon and was never going anywhere,” a board director told me.

There has been a belief that an inevitable shrinkage of Test cricket will reduce the number of nations from 12 to around 5-6.

But Zimbabwe boss and board director Tavengwa Mukuhlani said smaller countries wanted to play Test cricket, but weren’t given opportunities in the nine-team World Test Championship.

“We wouldn’t support any reduction of Test teams,” he told me. “The best way is for the WTC to feature all 12 countries and possibly top Associates, and include promotion and relegation.

“Countries like us, Ireland and Afghanistan don’t have context playing Test cricket.”

Proposed governance overhaul

A ‘single tier of membership’ has been on the cards for some time amid early discussions over constitutional reforms.

It involved scrapping seemingly archaic tiered membership headed by the 12 Full Members, who receive more funding and hold greater power through coveted spots on the 17-person ICC board.

A “single tier of membership” wouldn’t mimic FIFA’s contentious ‘One Country, One Vote’ rule, which has led to critics believing small countries are granted outsized influence.

The proposal advocated for a “weighted category-based voting structure based on ICC’s distribution model and performance in competition structures”, while funding would “emulate” the current Associate Member model based on performances on-and-off the field.

Membership tiers would be replaced by “format status” for both men’s and women’s – Test, ODI or T20I, the short format where every member has status.

Associate chair Imran Khwaja presented the proposal to the board at last year’s AGM, saying the aim of the process was to achieve a “meritocratic and egalitarian” membership.

A discussion paper was mooted, but it’s unclear if it has been finished and ready to be presented at this AGM.

High performance programme

As I reported last year, the ICC’s high performance programme is set for a revival after it ran for over 15 years before being scrapped late last decade.

The programme for top Associates included player development pathways and specialized administrative structures to help professionalize those deemed close to Full Member level.

The new high performance programme, in a point of difference, would involve some of the smaller Full Members, such as Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, along with top Associates.

Discussions are set to take place at the meetings with more specific details to be revealed, including how much total funding has been allocated and the share for each country.

The Afghanistan women’s issue unlikely to be discussed in detail

The Afghanistan men’s team had a spectacular run at the T20 World Cup, but the uncertainty of its women’s side continues to hover uncomfortably in the backdrop.

Fearing their safety after the Taliban’s bloody takeover in 2021, female cricketers sought refuge overseas with most of the team fleeing to Australia. The situation triggered a political storm, but Afghanistan’s Full Membership has not been under threat.

Members of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team have urged the ICC to help them re-form as a refugee side based in Australia.

After Afghanistan avoided ICC sanctions, as I reported last year, the working group was set to be disbanded only to remain intact due to Australia and England taking human rights stances.

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The cricket powerhouses may raise the issue during the meetings, but it is unlikely much headway will be made.

“There are more pressing issues to get through right now,” a board director told me.