The SMALL FISH will get to play the big boys after all. And they get to make more money too.
That’s because cricket’s “Big Three” have agreed to keep allowing tours which would see giants India, Australia and England playing perennial minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and the low-rated West Indies, which would also give smaller cricketing nations an opportunity to bring in more revenue.
In addition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is promising that its affiliate and associate members will also be in for a bigger piece of the revenue pie.
David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said yesterday that the new revenue distribution model, which is an integral part of the revamp of the ICC structure as proposed by the Big Three, will actually favour the associates and affiliates and not leave them with smaller budgets.
Speaking at the end of the ICC board’s two-day meeting in Dubai, Richardson contested the view of former ICC president Ehsan Mani, who had predicted that the associates and affiliates were in danger of losing BDS$600 million due to the proposed restructuring.
Richardson noted that the new set of resolutions were yet to be finalised, but said that the proposals had more advantages for the associates and affiliates.
“There hasn’t been any agreement on the financial model at this stage. But in the proposals they are much better off than they were before.”
Bangladesh Cricket in particular, was cock-a-hoop yesterday, when president Nazmul Hassan revealed they would play against India, England and Australia in the next two years.
Hassan hopes to sign the Members Participation Agreements (MPA) by February 8 with the three countries to confirm the tours.
“We will be in a better position than others,” he said. “We haven’t been to India in 14 years. We will go there to play Tests, they will come here too. We will go to England; Australia will come here.”
The statement was followed by a round of applause from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) directors and councillors who were at the press conference room in Mirpur.
Hassan continued by saying that Test cricket was his main concern, and that the three boards in question had asked the BCB for a slot, which will be sent within the next three days.
He believes that the MPA will help ensure teams don’t pull out of Tests when they have committed to a number of matches.
“Our main issues were playing Tests. How [are] we are going to solve this?
Some of them gave dates, whether we will go or they’ll come. We hope to sign them by February 8.
“They asked us for our time. We will let them know our possible slots in the next three days.
“One thing is for sure: there will be more cricket. Within two years, we hope to play against everyone.”
Hassan rejected Pakistan chief Zaka Ashraf’s claim that four boards – Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa – were going to ask for a delay on the draft proposals becoming resolutions.
He added that since the ICC press release had been sent out with the phrase “unanimous support”, all nations were in agreement. (BA/PR)
