Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: June 09, 2023 | 
| 中文
PCB Chairman Najam Sethi and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials in Lahore
India has not only refused to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to be held in September this year, citing security reasons and the Indian government’s refusal to allow it to travel to Pakistan, but has also opposed a hybrid model, where all of India’s matches will be held outside of Pakistan. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s proposal to hold four or five games of the Asian Cricket Festival in Pakistan and the rest of the tournament in UAE or any other country, could not get the approval of its Asian counterparts, including Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who all toed the Indian line. As baffling and disappointing as it may look, it was imminent that the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), which is headed by Narendra Modi's close associate and minister Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah, will try to isolate Pakistan cricket, and it appears it has succeeded in its scheme. Najam Sethi and company have only two options left: either play the tournament where India demands, or withdraw from the event. Both options are not good for Pakistan cricket.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and President Roger Binny
If Pakistan accepts India’s demand and plays the tournament in a neutral country, it will be forced to accept India’s hegemony in the cricketing world, and it will be difficult for Pakistan to organize multi-nation tournaments like the ICC World Cups and Champion trophies in Pakistan in the future. Pakistan is set to host the Champion Trophy in 2025, and it is more than likely that India will refuse to travel to Pakistan then also. If Pakistan withdraws from the tournament, the tournament will not suffer any financial loss. However, it will be a huge setback for Pakistan, as it will be forced to withdraw from a tournament for which it had hosting rights. Pakistan has hinted that it will not travel to India for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India in October-November this year. Whether Pakistan takes this route or it is just rhetoric, is yet to be seen, but it is equally devastating for Pakistan cricket if it withdraws from the international marquee event. Pakistan is not the only country affected by India's hegemonic advances in international cricket, the whole cricketing world is set to suffer in the future.
The Captains of Asia Cup 2018
In the recently proposed revenue distribution model for 2023-27 by ICC, India is set to receive 38.5% of the ICC’s returns, with the share of Australia, England and Pakistan estimated to be around 6%. The 12 full members of the ICC will take 88.81 % of the finances, while 94 associate nations will be contending on the remaining 11.19% of the income. India’s share in ICC’s revenues has exponentially increased over the years (from 22.8% in 2016 to 38.5% in 2023) because as of 2023, it generates almost 85% of ICC's income. No cricket board, except Pakistan, has criticized the new model publicly, as every country's overall income is increasing despite low share, because of the increased revenues overall. Also, no one wants to annoy the most powerful board in the cricketing world. While Indians are hysterically joyous that they are bound to take a lion’s share in ICC’s revenues, cricket experts around the world have expressed reservations regarding the devastating effects of the newly proposed financial model by the ICC.
West Indies' Jason Holder said 'Apart from the big three, every team is barely playing any Test cricket'
Ehsan Mani, former ICC President and ex-Chairman PCB, is of the view that overdependence on India is hazardous for world cricket, as he wants all full members to receive an equal share so that cricket becomes competitive. Mani is right in pointing out that in the absence of robust funding, it will be almost impossible for already financially struggling boards like Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan to sustain their competitive cricket and compete with stronger boards like India, Australia and England. As associate nations are getting a paltry sum yearly, it is almost impossible for them to help the game grow from a semi-professional sport to a professional one. The spread of cricket in countries like the United States of America, China, and the Middle Eastern nations can be beneficial for the game from the financial viewpoint, as they boost enormous markets and huge populations. But as India has the hegemony and it can milk the cow that is ICC, it will never allow the game to grow and progress beyond its borders, as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is reaping huge dividends due to its rising popularity.
Ehsan Mani
Sumod Damodar, who is representing associate nations in the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee, said that “associate members who have earned one-day international (ODI) status need more money to sustain their high-performance programmes, while the others need cash to bridge the gap." He, and others vouching for the growth of the game, are of the view that if the funds are not disbursed and allocated to help the game grow beyond the countries that it is being played in, the game will stagnate overtime and the future of the game will be put at risk. The model supports 'making rich richer at the cost of the poor', which has been criticized by cricket pundits around the world.
England and Australia, who were the founders of the infamous “Big Three” with India, an informal association of the three most powerful cricket boards to get the maximum financial benefits from the ICC’s revenues in 2014-15, have also reservations about the new model, although they have not voiced their opposition openly. India, after consolidating its position in the ICC as a hegemon, has ripped the founder nations of cricket and ICC off their perks and privileges. It is now India alone at the helm of ICC, as the transition from “Big Three” to “Big One” has been a smooth one, and without much opposition.
England's captain Ben Stokes appeals against Australia's skipper Pat Cummins
A game that is confined to a few countries can never be global, and will not attract global sponsors. As India has a huge cricket fan base, Indian conglomerates and billionaires have poured money into India's cricket league, known as IPL, which now has an estimated value of 6 billion USD per year. With the hegemony that BCCI has developed within ICC, instead of spreading the game internationally, it wants to turn cricket into a money-making machine for India by holding league matches throughout the year. The Future Tours Program (FTP) for 2023-27, released by ICC, has no international matches scheduled in April-May, when IPL is being played. Consequently, if the leagues flourishing under the control of IPL franchises (like the Caribbean Premier League and the South African Cricket League) are played throughout the year, then international cricket will suffer. While it is pertinent to note that ICC’s revenues (600 million USD per year as of 2023) are peanuts when compared to the income generated by the IPL and BCCI’s bilateral tours (approximately 10 billion USD), India can easily let go of its dominant tendencies. This, in the long run, will benefit cricket in general and Indian cricket as well, by attracting global sponsors and new audiences.
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