Protecting international cricket on the rise of franchise tournaments: MCC | Cricket news

DUBAI: Marylebone Cricket Club (Own customer center) has called for “urgent action” to protect international cricketsaying they are at an “important crossroads” amid a congested global schedule increasingly influenced by domestic leagues.
The proliferation of the league, including the latest SAT20 and ILT20 offerings, takes a lot of strain ICCThe Future Tours Program (FTP), which leads to an “alarming disparity” in the number of matches played by a minority of member nations, which is “neither fair nor sustainable”, it added.
The Big Three – India, Australia and England – get the lion’s share of international assignments, while smaller Test-playing nations such as Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe get a raw deal due to extremely strict FTP.
The MCC said the purpose of the meeting in Dubai was to “examine how international cricket can be hedged amid a global cricket schedule increasingly crowded with short-form franchise tournaments”, and “what global cricket might look like in 10 years’ time if left to develop organically”.
“The men’s cricket schedule in 2023 is full of franchises that overlap and compete ICC Future Tours programme (FTP) for bilateral international cricket, was recently announced until 2027. The only gap in this year’s combined schedules is in October and November when the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will be held in India,” the MCC said in a statement on Friday.

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“This trend repeats itself every year, constant overlap between international and franchise cricket, and is the only clear air for ICC Global tournaments. Among domestic tournaments, only the Indian Premier League commands a window-like international clash.
“Also noteworthy in the new men’s FTP is the alarming and growing disparity in the amount of international cricket played by a minority of member nations compared to others; a situation that is clearly neither fair nor sustainable.”
The MCC said that while the global game had never been in a “healthier position”, it added that the financial windfall should be spread to every ICC member nation.
“The committee felt strongly that the opportunity to better balance the global economy of the game must be seized now so that this current strength can help ensure the sustainability of the international game for all ICC member countries and for generations to come.”
ICC Women’s FTP is very clean: MCC
The MCC praised the ICC Women’s FTP, but also urged boards to learn from the men’s game to make international cricket more sustainable for players amid the rise of T20 leagues.
“Unlike the men’s version, the recently released first version of the ICC Women’s FTP till 2025 looks very clean and has no overlap between international and domestic leagues,” it said.
“However, the (MCC’s) WCC (World Cricket Committee) urges boards to work together to find the optimal balance between the two, learning from the men’s busy schedule to ensure the overall workload of the game’s best international women cricketers is sustainable. .
“With women in some countries already seeing increased income disparities between franchise leagues and international cricket (compared to men) and the resulting choices that some are beginning to make to get out of international cricket, there are worrying signs of potential trends to come.”

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Finding a balance is essential: Ganguly
Former India captain and WCC member Sourav Ganguly said it is imperative to strike a balance between franchise cricket and the pinnacle of the game – Tests.
“I still believe Test cricket is the biggest platform in cricket. That’s where you find the great players, and that’s why it’s called a test. It’s a test of skill.
“It should always be the pinnacle and I’m sure countries will consider it important and find the right balance between franchise cricket and Test cricket,” Ganguly said.
Former Australian men’s head coach Justin Langer said the pride of playing for the country and the landmarks achieved in international cricket are immeasurable and therefore Test cricket should be protected.
“The difference between international cricket and domestic T20 cricket is that the whole nation cares about their country’s participation. The statistics of the best players are measured at the international level: everyone knows that (Sachin) Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries and Muralitharan scored 800 Test wickets.”
“We need to protect the integrity of Test cricket and international cricket in general. It’s how great careers are judged and where real passion and lasting memories are made.”