In a welcome move by ICC, it has been proposed to allot funds for the associate nations thus aiding the growth of cricket as a sport worldwide. This comes as a breather for the nations who have been continuously whining for a dignified status in International Cricket.
The minimal profit garnered by having such fixtures has been a big stumbling block in the growth of these teams. The ICC chief David Richardson was quoted saying, “It’s a fact that even matches between the lower-ranked Full Members, like Zimbabwe versus Sri Lanka for example, don’t make revenues so even if the series is making a profit, it is a very small amount. You can now imagine a Series between Afghanistan and the West Indies would cost a lot but the revenues might not be enough to cover those costs.”
He also mentioned that ICC would make efforts to ensure that full member teams participate with associate nations in bilateral tours in the near future. If funds fall short then an ODI fund, similar to a Test fund, will be constituted to fill the void.
Editor : Akanksha Agarwal
