But in true Australian fashion, Beth Mooney’s magnificent century, Kim Garth grit at #9, and Alana King’s fiery 51* turned it into a 107-run victory. Earlier, Ash Gardner had rescued them with 115 (83) from #6 and later repeated the feat alongside Sutherland against England.
Add seven ODI and six T20 World Cup victories, the picture is clear: What other nations have built in the last five years, Australia have been perfecting for over 50.
How far behind are the rest, and can we actually quantify the health of women’s cricket across the top nations?
Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Australia ($19.56 M), England ($15.02 M), India ($2.37 M), and New Zealand ($2.27 M) spend the most on women cricketers’ salaries (both central contracts and domestic combined).
Cricket Australia aims to generate $121 million in revenue alone from women’s cricket by 2034. On the other hand, nations like South Africa, Ireland, and Bangladesh are just now starting to professionalize domestic cricket.
Despite leading women’s cricket in pay, Australian women still earn far less than the men: $139,719 AUD vs $951,046 AUD in 2023–24 average retainer value.
How I Assessed Cricket Boards’ Financial Commitment and Long-Term Vision for Women’s Cricket
To understand the full picture of each cricket board’s investment in women’s cricket, I examined the following factors for the top women’s cricket boards:
Long-term investment in girls’ and women’s sports
Salaries of centrally contracted players
Number of contracted female players (both international & domestic)
Performance in ICC tournaments*
Socioeconomic indicators. These include UN/WHO metrics such as
Female Labor Force participation: % of women actively employed or seeking work
Female Literacy Rate: Share of women who can read and write at a certain level
Global Inequality Index: Measures income and opportunity gaps affecting women
Women, Peace, & Security Index (WPSI): Assesses women’s safety, inclusion, and empowerment
After analyzing these factors, I grouped the nations into five categories:
🟢 Strongly Invested: Australia, England
🟡 Progressing: New Zealand, India
🟠 Transitioning from amateur to professional: South Africa, Ireland, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
🟣 Emerging: Scotland, Zimbabwe
🔴 At Risk: Afghanistan
*Includes the 2022 Commonwealth Games along with 13 ODI World Cups and 9 T20 World Cups.
My Theory on Women’s Economics in Cricket
In theThe Economics of Sport Dominance article, I theorized how a nation evolves from a single-nation sport into a multi-nation and Olympic dominating nation based on GDP per capita, Global Hunger Index, and poverty rate.
We can apply a similar framework to women’s sports. For a nation to rise in women’s sport, certain base needs must be met: A female literacy rate of at least 60-80%, female labor force participation rate above 40-50%, and no government restrictions on women (unlike Afghanistan).
7 Steps of Achieving Sustainability in Women’s Cricket
Once these prerequisites are achieved, a cricket board typically progresses through seven steps:
Professionalize the Base: Create contracts, domestic leagues, and comprehensive player support to elevate ‘amateur’ players, allowing them to focus on cricket rather than juggling other jobs.
Have a Catalyst Moment: A breakthrough win or tournament performance that sparks interest (ex: India’s 2017 ODI World Cup run).
Institutionalize Momentum: Build grassroots pathways and scholarship programs to build on the momentum from the initial spark.
Build Systems: Invest in coaching, leadership, administration as well as grown fans of women’s cricket and increase sponsorships.
Deepen Talent Pool: Expand local tournaments, scouting networks to increase depth so women’s cricket does not only depend on one ‘golden generation’.
Expand International Exposure and Raise Standards: Create domestic T20 league, invest in emerging, A, and U-19 tours, and raise standards for new batch of players.
Achieve Profitability and Re-invest: At this stage, both the talent pool and the audience have matured. Domestic leagues, sponsorships, TV rights are set. Money is flowing in and being re-invested into local talent and systems built earlier, which outputs in increased depth and better tournament performance.
Top 10 Richest Women Cricket Boards (By Overall Salary)
Alright, now time for the reveal.
Here are the cricketing nations ranked loosely by estimated salaries for women’s cricketers (central contracts and domestic cricketers combined). We also look at investment trajectory, strategic vision, and recent grassroots development.
Note: Salaries and match fee information of some emerging nations were not available. Also, Women CPL salary information was not publicly available, so they are not used for this analysis.
$800,000 AUD ($520,495 USD) $500,000 AUD ($325,000 USD) for next 6
$163,322 AUD ($106,260 USD)
Number of Players
18 central contracts
131 across 7 teams (including the 18 central)
Match Fees
$2,000 AUD/match day
Included in average
1 $AUD = $0.65 USD, WNCL – Women’s National Cricket League, WBBL – Women’s Big Bash League
Highest Paid WPL Australian Player Breakdown: In 2024, Ash Gardner earned an estimated $831,951 USD (or $1.28 million AUD) annually across WPL ($380,000 USD), The Hundred ($86,613), central contract/WBBL ($325,000), and match fees ($40,338 USD/$62,000 AUD), not including awards, bonuses, or sponsorships.
She played 31 days of international cricket: 1 Test (3 days), 12 ODIs, and 16 T20Is in 2024.
Bottom Line: Australia’s high socioeconomic index and investment in women’s cricket is unparalleled, directly translating into high salaries, strong grassroots participation, team depth, and World Cup success.
Potential Challenges: Australia are in a unique place, culturally. They have an abundance of sports culture and women in sports. Hence, the main challenge I see for Australia is retaining cricket as the #1 sport for young girls aspire to pick up.
Average women’s match attendance → 600,000 (from 110,000)
80% of women’s matches telecasted in primetime
40% of women in leadership roles
$500 million AUD invested in infrastructure
Revenue from women’s cricket → $121M AUD (from $21M)
Quotes from Action Plan and Annual Report
“…some of our girls who are playing in India earn significant amounts of money in the WPL, and on top of this deal now, they will become million-dollar athletes. And so they should because they’re the best in the world at what they do.“
-Todd Greenberg, CEO Australia Cricketers’ Association
“We are also exceptionally proud that following the last MOU, our elite players are by far the highest paid female team sport athletes in Australia.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Registered women/girls: 47,000 → 80,000 (2014-24)
2023-24 season: +18% to 93,091 registered players, including 44% rise in school competitions
~$100M AUD ($65 M USD) invested in facilities over last 10 years.
CommBank’s Growing Cricket for Girls Fund supported 4,408 girls aged 5-18
Weber WBBL: Most-watched sports league in Oct-Nov.
How we estimated salaries for Australian women cricketers
We estimated the average salary for an Australian contracted player as follows:
According to the 2023–28 MOU, the average retainer for centrally contracted women’s cricketers was $139,719 AUD, which rose ~8% to $150,897 AUD the next year.
Adding the estimated average WBBL salary of $48,800 AUD brings most players’ total earnings to about $200,000 AUD.
When accounting for top earners, the squad-wide average rises to roughly $333,000 AUD, with the top player at $800,000 AUD and the next six around $500,000–$600,000 AUD.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟢 Exceptionally Strong 5-Year Investment Trajectory: The ECB plans to invest £20-25 Million ($27-33M USD) annually in women’s cricket by end of the decade.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Salary Range
£90,000-£130,000 ($118,600-$171,250)
Minimum (Tier 1): £33,333 Average (Tier 1): £53,333
Tier 1 counties include Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire with Yorkshire to join in 2026 and Glamorgan in 2027.
£1 = $1.33 USD
The salary cap for Tier 1 counties is £500,000-£800,000, and a minimum of 15 contracted players are required for each Tier 1 county. The average domestic salary otherwise is £25,000, with £28,000 for senior pro level and £20,000 for Rookie level.
Note: Although 270+ players play across the domestic system, only 153 are supported by official domestic contracts.
Highest Paid WPL England Player Breakdown: England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt earns around $931,978 annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
Do they have a T20 league? Yes, The Women’s Hundred.
Tournament Performance:Number of ICC Trophies/Commonwealth: 17/23 (5 Wins, 12 Runners-Up)
Bottom Line: England’s women’s cricket is thriving. From leading the charge in the equal pay movement & the Women’s Hundred revolution to investing in domestic cricket & nationwide grassroots push, women’s cricket is in good place in England.
Potential Challenges: Although England has invested in the grassroots level, their social progress has not directly translated into tournament wins. Increasing salaries in the Women’s Hundred and increasing the standard of domestic cricket will hopefully lead them to create dominance like the Australian dynasties.
+£19M per year investment in women’s domestic cricket by 2027.
+£25M investment annually above forecasted revenues by 2029.
Equity Commitments (ICEC Report 2023)
The 2023 Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) recommended the following:
Equal match fees for men and women ✅ (implemented in 2023)
Equal domestic pay by 2029
100% equal international salary parity by 2030
Other Recommendations: Parity in Hundred salaries, captain’s allowances, win bonuses, introduction of Rookie Contracts, merit-based and inclusive talent pathway, financial aid, and more
Investment & Grassroots Growth
£1.2 million invested in a network of 100 Cricket Development Officers
Core City Hubs Programme: 285 hubs across 13 cities, engaging 30,000 players including 9,000 women and girls
£3.7M public funding from ESC Lottery fund, of which £850,000 was allocated for for Tacking inequality – Womens and Girls and £101,000 for “Female Talent Pathway”
Participation & Engagement (2023)
20% growth in women’s and girls’ teams from 2022 to 2023.
717 new women’s & girls’ teams
26,752 girls participated in Stars and Dynamos
7.4 million total audience for women’s cricket across formats
140% increase in women’s international (122,000) and 167% increase in viewership of Women’s Test
349,401 attended the 2025 The Women’s Hundred
+3000 bursaries (scholarships) to “enable individuals, especially women, ethnically diverse individuals, and disabled people, to qualify as coaches.”
538% increase in women’s professional players from 2020 to 2025
Quotes from PCA Women Impact Report
“For years I had a full-time job alongside playing top level domestic cricket as an amateur. The progress made in the past five years has been astounding…”
-Eve Jones, Lancashire
“A key priority for the players was agreeing a maternity policy which supports those wishing to start a family whilst still playing the game. The ECB were supportive of the policy and in 2025 now provide a fully paid maternity leave period of up to 12 months, with a 12-month contract extension for players returning from maternity leave.”
How We Estimated Salaries for England women cricketers
120 Tier 1 players * £53,333 average = £6,399,960
150 Tier 2 players × £20,000 = £3,000,000
20 central contracts × £110,000 = £2,200,000
Subtract overlapping County pay (20 * £53,333)
Adding everything up, England spends about £11,283,300 on player salaries, or about $15.02 million.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Improving, fewer resources 5-Year Investment Trajectory: NZC short-term focus is on developing young cricketers and increasing financial sustainability with TV rights and free-to-air opportunities for women’s cricket.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$152,796 NZD ($87,859 USD)
$18,646 NZD ($10,722 USD)
Maximum Salary
$163,246 NZD ($93,868)
$19,146 NZD ($11,009 USD)
Number of Players
17
72 players across 6 teams
Match Fees
$85,700 NZD* (included in salary)
$13,750 NZD* (included in salary)
$1 NZD = $0.58 USD
The salary for the Rank 1 player breakdown: $63,000 (Retainer), $85,700 (Match Fees), $6,750 (CPPT), $6,300 (Retirement Fund), Insurance ($1,496)
Match fees and CPPT is the same for all White Ferns contracts; only retainer and retirement fund fluctuate by ranking
CPPT: Cricket Players’ Property Trust
Match Fees Includes:
$10,250 (Test – which White Ferns have not played for 20+ years)
$4000 (ODI), $2500 (T20I)
$800 (Domestic ODI), $575 (Domestic T20)
Highest Paid New Zealand WPL Player breakdown:Amelia Kerr earns about $435,755 annually excluding bonuses, match awards, and sponsorships. In 2024, she earned around $582,960 with the 2024 T20 WC prize money.
$192,000: WPL
$147,203 ($256,000 NZD): 2024 T20 World Cup prize money
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
$85,545 ($148,946 NZD): Salary (retainer + match fees)
Bottom Line: The 2024 T20 World Cup win boosted the White Ferns, and they have recently focused on developing grassroots cricket. However, compared to the Big 3, they do not have nearly as much participation in girls cricket or financial investment in women’s cricket.
Potential Challenges: As the senior pros head towards retirement, NZ need to focus on increasing their talent depth. They do well with the resources they currently have, but risk falling behind with the lack of resources.
The landmark agreement between NZC, New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), and Major Associations in 2022 yielded the following:
Equal match fees for men and women on the same day
Player payments based on 29.75% of NZC’s projected commercial revenue over 5 years (NZ$349m), expected to total NZ$104M.
Prioritizes growth in participation of women and girls, leveraging free-to-air TVNZ coverage.
“At domestic level we increased the number of women’s annual contracts awarded by 30% to further invest in the development of our pipeline…As a result, cricket is becoming the most attractive professional sport in the country for young female athletes…The 15-strong squad who contested the World Cup final received circa NZ$256,000 in prize money each, on top of their annual retainers and match fees.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Average Live Audience for White Fern matches → 190,000 in 2020/21 (from 31,000 in 2016/17)
Around 821,000 people watched at least one of 20 Women’s Super Smash matches
In Otago alone, about 124 teams of girls took place in Girls Smash. Wellington, Marlborough, and Canterbury followed with over 1,000 girls involved now.
Around 43,596 females participated in 2020-21 before the Covid-19 dropoff to 26,321 the next year
Aspiring Female Umpire & Pathway to Performance Programs: 20 coaches/umpires trained in 2023-24, 12 women promoted to Head or Assistance Coach roles in the 2024 National U-19 Women’s Tournament, 15 new female coaches developed through Cricket Wellington Women & Girls Coaching Course
Female Leadership Initiatives: Leadership Development Contestable Fund, other leadership programs for women and girls
How We Estimated Salaries for White Ferns central contracts:
NZC lays out the salary bands of players based on different rankings:
Rank 1 – $163,246
Rank 9 – $148,946
Rank 17 – $142,346
However, it does not layout the rankings in the middle so we take the average between the highest and lowest for this average: ($163,246+$142,346)/2 = $152,796.
Combining both domestic and central contracts, NZCricket spends around $2.27 million on player salaries
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Stable, Lacking Vision 10-Year Investment Trajectory: BCCI spends around $10-11 million per-year on women’s domestic cricket, which means they will spend more than $100M in a 10-year cycle on women’s cricket.
Bottom Line: As the financial powerhouse of world cricket, India is pouring money into the WPL and have thousands of women cricketers playing in the domestic circuit. However, there seems to be a lack of longterm vision and systemic grassroots growth.
Potential Challenges: India’s main challenge will be navigating an evolving socioeconomic landscape and create a better cricket infrastructure for more girls to participate.
Australia Women’s Tour to India: 15.53 Crore, England W tour to India: 9.39 Crore
England A Women’s tour: 1.98 Crore
Women’s Emerging Asia Cup: 1.7 Crore, Women’s Tour to Bangladesh: 5.91 Crore, Women’s Asian Games: 2.22 Crore
Note: According to Times of India, about 96 Crore INR is budgeted for women’s domestic cricket in the 2025/26 BCCI budget. We have not been able to find the BCCI budget, but it is close to the 89.82 Crore INR from BCCI’s 2023/24 annual report.
Strategic Vision
Apart from match fees pay equity and annual financial reports, I did not find any strategic visions or 5 to 10-year plans from BCCI like Australia, England, or New Zealand have neatly presented.
Hence, I looked at Jay Shah’s tweets to see his vision for women cricket and grassroots development in India.
Hosting the @ICC@cricketworldcup in India enables us to have a significant impact at the grassroots level.
My sincere thanks to @DP_World, who share our vision of promoting the game and empowering women's cricket. As part of the Beyond Boundaries Initiative, 250 kits were… https://t.co/D1oWXNWuQ3
Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, and I am dedicated to preserving its stature while enhancing its appeal to fans. Simultaneously, women's cricket will be a cornerstone of our growth strategy as we take the sport to new horizons.
Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher. I am delighted to announce INR 5 crore for the entire team and support staff as prize money. This is surely a path-breaking year.
In a historic stride for Indian cricket, Jacintha Kalyan has become the trailblazing pioneer as the first female cricket pitch curator in our nation. 🙌 Taking the helm of pitch preparation for the inaugural leg of the Women's Premier League in Bengaluru, Jacintha embodies the… pic.twitter.com/AVqLondy77
After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL@ICC@BCCIWomen
How We Estimated Average Domestic Indian Women Cricket Salaries
There are two major tournaments: Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and Senior Women’s ODI Trophy. In both tournaments, teams play about 7 matches in group-stages and can further qualify to pre-quarters, quarters, semi-finals, and finals.
1072 women cricketers are named in the Senior Women T20 Squad for the 31 teams, averaging 34.58 players per team. This means 11 players will play each match and about 23.6 players will be on the bench.
Playing XI earns 20,000 INR: 11 * 20,000 = 220,000. Bench earns 10,000: 23.6 *10,000 = 236,000
Hence, each team pays their players about 456,000 INR per match on average.
If teams do not qualify, the tournament spend on salary is 456,000 * 14 = 6,348,000 INR. If qualifying teams play ~ 16 matches, the total is close to 7,296,000 INR. From the 31 teams, if 8 qualify and 23 do not, we can estimate the total cost as follows: (8*7,296,000) + (23*6,348,000) = 205,200,000/1072 = 191,441 INR per player per season.
Overall, the BCCI pays its central contract holders about 3.6 Crore INR and about 20.5 Crore INR to its domestic players, for a total of 20.8 Crore INR (or $2.37 million total) excluding match fees for international players.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Have vision, but in the process of professionalizing Investment Trajectory: South Africa government investment 15M ZAR ($USD 869,000) in women’s cricket in the lead-up to the 2023 T20 World Cup and the U-19 T20 WC.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
N/A
N/A
Number of Players
15
68 (plus 17 high performance and academy contracts)
Match Fees
Test: $6,925 ODI: $1,900 T20I: $911
N/A
1 ZAR = $0.06 USD ($1 = 17.23 ZAR)
Unfortunately, there is no publicly available information of how much the central contracts are worth for women’s cricketers in South Africa. The match fees is from ESPNCricinfo’s 2017 report and may be outdated. CSA now provides equal match fee for both their women’s and men’s cricketers.
Highest Paid South African WPL Player breakdown:Marizanne Kapp earns between $400,000-$480,000 annually before sponsorships, etc. Here is the breakdown:
Bottom Line: South Africa have produced world-class cricketers in the last few years, but women’s domestic cricket is just becoming professional. Hosting the 2023 T20 World Cup created a cycle of investment in women’s cricket according to the Nielsen report. They are now focusing on investing in women’s domestic and junior level cricket to complete the transition from amateur to professionalization.
Potential Challenges: Making the finals of the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups was no easy feat, but can they sustain the momentum once the golden generation retires?
“…the continued professionalisation of the women’s game through the appointment of a permanent head coach marks a landmark achievement.“
-Rihan Richards, President (CSA)
“Focus on women’s cricket: Significant attention was given on advancing the growth and professionalisation of women’s cricket. The committee supported increased investment in domestic women’s structures, advocated for broader enhanced media coverage and commercial partnerships and the integration of former women players in strategic discussions, reflecting CSA’s commitment to transformation and gender inclusivity.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments 10-Year Investment Trajectory: In 2023, CWI announced they would start significant investments in women’s cricket. For example, business class flights for long-haul travels and single rooms for international assignments were added to match the men’s team policy, adding $500,000 in budget alone.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$50,000-$100,000
N/A
Number of Players
15 (3 with multi-year contracts)
14 (Women’s academy)
Match Fees
ODI: $2,300 T20I: $1,735
N/A
*Note: The match fees reflects equal match fees, when it does come into effect, based on our estimates for Men’s match fees.
Highest Paid West Indian WPL Player breakdown:Deandra Dottin earned approximately $269,200 in 2023-24. She had retired from international cricket, so no salary estimate is added.
West Indies played about 7 ODIs and 16 T20Is in 2024, which could add an additional $43,860 in match fees for those who played on top of the central contract.
Bottom Line: Failure to qualify for the 2025 ODI World Cup marked a low note for the 2016 T20 World Cup winners and the 2022 ODI World Cup semi-finalists. The successes in the last decade would have inspired a new generation of players. Does the WI have systems in place to capitalize for this talent?
Potential Challenges: The need to widen talent pool and depth to match the dominance of Australia & England.
“The MOU was signed by Cricket West Indies and the West Indies Players’ Association and set a clear path for West Indies cricket to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain’s allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027.”
Goals
“Establishment of Key Performance Indicators for Territorial Boards linked to new funding model with clear minimum standards including dedicated support for women and girls programmes and high-performance programmes.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments, low resources 10-Year Investment Trajectory: Increased annual investment from €500,000 ($582,000) before 2019 to €1.5M ($1.75M). The investment will go towards player contracts and match fees, coaching and support staff, infrastructure, etc. In 10 years, about $15-20M can be invested in women’s cricket if they continue on this path.
Average Salary: $50,000-$75,000 (including match fees).
Highest Paid Irish WPL Player breakdown: Gaby Lewis was selected in The Hundred as an overseas wildcard in 2023, where salaries may be between £7,500-£15,000 ($10,000-$20,000). This means her annual salary that year could have been close to $60,000-$100,000.
Ireland’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 60.1%
WPSI: 0.892 (#13)
Female Literacy Rate: 99%
Global Inequality Index: 0.054 (#19)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: With high socioeconomic indices, Ireland shouldn’t have trouble progressing to the next level of professionalization in women’s cricket. The next step is to find more players that can consistently be selected in overseas T20 leagues to raise their standards.
Potential Challenges: They are investing well for their size, but they also need to think about widening their talent pool.
45% increase in women’s cricket investment (from 2016 to 2021)
1,582 female cricketers registered across all levels
Funding: Received €70,000 from Sport Ireland for 2024, with €103,038 total expenditure after carryover.
Broadcast Boost:Virgin Media aired women’s internationals free-to-air for the first time; €60,000 allocated to televise the England series at Clontarf.
Professionalization: Entry into the ICC Women’s Championship (2021) led to the first full-time contracts for women.
Sponsorship:Certa renewed as main team sponsor.
Goals (by 2023)
Get Cricket to be in top 10 choice of sports for girls in Ireland
Achieve 50% increase in participation
Develop talent pool of accredited female coaches and officials
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 National investment in grassroots women’s cricket growing, the beginning of professionalization for women’s cricket in the country. Investment Trajectory: Increased women cricket’s spending from 70M PKR ($249,000) to 240M PKR ($854,000).
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$2,000-$12,500
420,000 PKR ($1,495)
Number of Players
20 (18 central, 2 emerging)
65
Match Fees
N/A
20,000 PKR/match 10,000 PKR (bench)
$1 = 281.04 PKR
Currently, a domestic Pakistan player can play upwards of 31 days of cricket in a year
The retainer salaries of Pakistan’s contracted players is not available. I’d expect it to be higher than their domestic salaries.
A number of players including Fatima Sana are in the upcoming WBBL draft. However, in the past, not Pakistan players have made it to the Hundred or WBBL teams.
Pakistan’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 24.3%
WPSI: 0.481 (#158)
Female Literacy Rate: 46.5%
Global Inequality Index: 0.536 (#145)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Pakistan have started domestic contracts, which is a step in the right direction. However, domestic pay is too low to encourage widespread growth at the moment.
Potential Challenges: Overcoming cultural and socioeconomic challenges to increase awareness and promote more girls taking up sports. Pakistan needs an inspiring tournament run to motivate a generation.
In the 2019-23 5-Year Plan, the PCB laid out their vision as follows:
Develop a National High Performance Center for women
Build infrastructure and development programs for female coaches
Ensure inclusion of women in reformed grassroots programs and integrate women’s cricket into the six Cricket Associations.
Pakistan’s 2025-26 domestic season includes tournaments for Women’s U-19 T20 Tournament, Inter-university tournaments, and National Women’s ODI and T20 tournaments signifying a step in the right direction.
“Our Pathways structure continues to evolve with the aim of building a strong future for Pakistan women’s cricket. The U19 T20 tournament, followed by the tour to Bangladesh will offer young players valuable exposure and an opportunity to develop the skills required at the international level…We are also actively engaging in discussion with various departments to introduce a departmental tournament for women’s cricket. This initiative will provide additional playing opportunities for our women cricketers.”
– Rafia Haider, Head of Women’s Cricket
This PCB Podcast with Rafia Haider is a revelation, which shows the planning and vision PCB has women’s cricket.
Overview of Women’s Cricket in Pakistan
“Socially, we have a limitation. We have been able to overcome these challenges, credit to PCB and support of parents...Progress has been made in the last couple of years especially with budgetary approvals, working on FTP, domestic setup add-ons. I am having a good time that I have an empowered role. We have domestic programs, 9 academies with dedicated support staff across Pakistan that works round the year…The rewards for best players have been enhanced. For our regional tournament, skills and fitness will be emphasized. We were lacking fitness standards, and this is a focus for us. Contracts will be based on fitness and performance...”
Create a Robust Inter-Collegiate Ecosystem
“Schools are non-existent (as development pool). Most of our players come from a handful of colleges and universities. The PCB has started new program for schools to register in and nominate their players (over 50 institutions have showed interest). Men’s cricket have clubs and street cricket. The goal is to create a proper inter-school and inter-collegiate tournaments. We are targeting U-15 and U-17 development to start off early that builds our U-19 pool…We are increasing number of series and engagements with international teams in both U-19 and national level…Merit based selection is key.”
Increasing Visibility
Until we increase visibility, we cannot increase engagement. Lack of awareness in women’s cricket can only be solved when our national stars become household names (ex: Sadia, Fatima, Diana who have broken the barrier). People appreciated our show in the Women’s WC Qualifiers. Projection is key, so families know that things can better. Trying to create positive engagement with current players via social media platforms so younger players to be part of the story.”
Domestic Infrastructure for Women’s Cricket
“HPC Karachi is dedicated for women’s cricket. Karachi stadium and facilities are available to women’s teams, U-19, and extended skill camps. We are working with the NCA to ensure additional support staff. We are also working with increasing stadium availability and intra-region practice matches. Coaching staff will engage within their districts and schools. We lack in the refereeing and coaching side. There are ex-players who have taken Level 2 & Level 3 coaching. We are trying to facilitate this with ICC and NCA to organize this. We are also increasing a focus on mixed refereeing.”
Message for the People
One thing that should change is the people’s attitude is bring their kids in. There is progress, but a lot more needs to come in. This is a societal effort, we need to realize that women’s sports is important. If you put your heart into it, hardwork is essential. Yes there are limitations in society and administration. We are trying our level best to bring cricket to their doorsteps, but people need to come forward as well.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Low player salary, but structures beginning to be put in place Investment Trajectory: 30 domestic state contracts started this year.
Bangladesh player Salary breakdown: In 2024, Nigar Sultana played 6 ODIs and 19 T20Is, which earned her about $4,650 in match fees. Presuming that she has a Grade A contract, Sultana’s overall salary annually is between $17,000-$20,000.
Unfortunately, not many Bangladesh players have been selected for the WPL, WBBL, and the Hundred.
Bangladesh’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Female Labor Force Participation: 44.2%
WPSI: 0.593 (#131)
Female Literacy Rate: 72%
Global Inequality Index: 0.487 (#125)
Bottom Line: Bangladesh are showing signs of professionalizing, but need to elevate to the next level. If they produce 2-3 more world class players who get into the WPL/Hundred/WBBL drafts, then that can change the perspective of women’s cricket in Bangladesh.
Potential Challenges: Pay may be too low for aspiring women’s cricketers to devote a career into the sport.
“The women’s national contract is similar to the first-class players’ contract for male cricketers. The board has decided to introduce this in an effort to provide financial stability to a large pool of women cricketers. Thirty cricketers, who are not a part of the central contract, have been placed in the women’s national contract…”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Lower paid, just started professionalizing Investment Trajectory: A 23,855,000 LKR ($78,667) “ICC Women’s Cricket Financial Grant” was provided to SLC for 2023.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
2,400,000 LKR ($7,915)
N/A
Maximum Salary
3,600,000 LKR ($11,872)
N/A
Number of Players
25
15
Match Fees
$750/match $250 bonus for matches won
N/A
$1 = 303.24 LKR
National Contracts are divided in Grades A-D, but the amounts are not specified (salaries may range from 100,000 LKR to 300,000 LKR).
*Emerging players earn a ‘fixed monthly rate and an attendance allowance’
Highest Paid Sri Lankan WPL Player breakdown:Chamari Athapaththu earns approximately $226,741 annually before sponsorships and other awards:
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
~ $71,671 ($110,000 AUD): WBBL, pre-signed
$34,159 (30 Lakh INR): WPL
$22,500: Match Fees (9 ODIs, 21 T20Is in 2024)
$11,872: Central Contract
Sri Lanka’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 31.6%
WPSI: 0.743 (#60)
Female Literacy Rate: 91.6%
Global Inequality Index: 0.367 (#93)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Sri Lanka have the heart, but the structure is just not there yet. I hope that the 2024 Asia Cup win inspired the next generation of talent so Sri Lanka are in a safer place after Athapaththu retires
Potential Challenges: Raising domestic salaries to professionalize the sport is the most important challenge Sri Lanka must overcome.
The ICC and other boards have pooled in money to support the displaced Afghanistan women’s cricket team to provide them with facilities, training camps, and practice matches.
USA, Netherlands, Thailand, and the UAE women’s teams are also teams that may rise in the next couple of decades.
I'm proud to announce on behalf of the @ICC a landmark initiative we've partnered on with the BCCI, England & Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia to assist displaced Afghan women cricketers in both their cricketing and development journeys.
Final Thoughts: Where Does Women’s Cricket Go from Here?
Aside from the lack of marketing and rain, the 2025 ODI World Cup marks another milestone with a record $13.88 million prize money. It reflects how much the women’s game has grown in visibility and value since the successful 2017 and 2020 World Cups.
Women’s cricket is no longer.a niche sport.
However, unless more countries 10x their investments in women cricket (and maybe the ICC needs to help out), Australia & England will almost always be in the finals and two out of South Africa-West Indies-India-New Zealand will complete the rest of the semi-finalists.
I am hopeful of Ireland, Scotland, and Sri Lanka rising up the ranks, but only time will tell.
For now, let’s admire Australia’s dominance and let it remind us what long-term planning can achieve in women’s cricket.
The fielders glance at the sky. Spectators snap their fingers.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
You step away from the cricket and take a walk.
Flowers drift with the breeze, river streams glisten. Even inside, you can hear each droplet of water as you wash the dishes, the TV humming softly in the background.
Back on the field, applause drifts across the stands. Commentators fill the silence. You begin to notice the shades of grass, the cracks on the pitch, the shape of the umpire’s hat.
Hours pass. The sun begins to set.
Friends catch up over a beer, rivals turn partners, families reunite.
The bowlers are still running in. And Cheteshwar Pujara is still there.
Block. A single. A couple of runs. A four down the ground. Block again.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
Cheteshwar Pujara could make you feel time and cricket in its purest form.
The crisp sound of his defensive stroke striking the middle of the willow had a beauty of its own.
You might not be glued to your screens for every ball, but you knew: as long as he was there, Team India was safe.
That safety net is now gone. Pujara has officially retired. In his own words, “All good things must come to an end.”
I vividly recall Pujara’s debut in 2010. In a tense second-innings chase of 207, he was sent in at #3 while Rahul Dravid was dropped down the order.
Pujara scored 72 (129) at a strike rate of 80.89. In that moment, I thought to myself, India had found an absolute gem.
At the same time, it felt like the beginning of the end for Rahul Dravid, my favorite player growing up (Here is the first article I ever wrote, What Rahul Dravid Taught Me).
The passing of the torch was happening in real time.
The Dawn of the Pujara Decade
Later that year in South Africa, Pujara struggled against the pace and bounce. However, after the horrors of 0-8 in 2011 and the retirements of Laxman and Dravid, he roared back into the side in 2012.
Between August 2012 and March 2013, Pujara score 159, 206*, 135, and 204 against New Zealand, England, and Australia, cementing his place in the team for a decade to come.
He continued delivering memorable knocks over the next four years: 153 at Johannesburg, carrying in bat with a 145* in Colombo, 202 at Ranchi, and a string of hundreds against Sri Lanka in 2017.
By the end of 2017, the 29-year old Pujara had played 53 Tests, averaging 53.38.
Pujara’s Annus Mirabilis – Australia’s Nightmare, His Masterpiece
In 1905, Albert Einstein published papers on photoelectric effect, special relativity, Brownian motion, and e=mc^2, all in a single year. Such a feat is called a scientists’ Annus Mirabilisor “miracle year.”
Sir Isaac Newton had his miracle year in 1665-1666 (calculus, laws of motion, gravity). Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898, Ramanujan revolutionized partitions and prime numbers in 1919-20, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps dominated 2008, and Sachin Tendulkar owned 1998.
For Cheteshwar Pujara, it was the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series.
Australia is notoriously a graveyard for visiting sides, especially Asian teams. India came close in 2003-04 with a 1-1 draw, but a series win remained elusive.
Against Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon in their prime, Pujara’s performances were nothing short of heroic: From 3/19, Pujara’s 123 at Adelaide revived India, followed it up with a 71 (204) in the second innings, a Boxing day century at the MCG, and a 193-run epic in Sydney.
After facing 1258 balls, scoring 521 runs with 3 centuries, he deservedly won the Player of the Series award in India’s historic 2-1 victory.
Pujara carried India on his shoulders in that series, cementing his place in the pantheon of legends in Indian cricket.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: The Series That Defined Grit
The next tour was not as prolific for Pujara, but he was every bit as instrumental.
He would score 271 runs off 928 balls. No hundreds, and three of his own slowest fifties. Yet he hung in there, took the body blows, and helped India edge to a 2-1 victory once again, coming back from 36/9.
An unlikely triumph, one of the most memorable in recent history.
The 2023 WTC Final, where India lost its second consecutive title, would be his last Test. In the final four years, Pujara averaged 20.37, 28.08, 45.44, and 25.85, dropping his career average from a peak of 67.63 (after 16 Tests) to 43.6.
Pujara-Kohli-Rahane were meant to succeed Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman. They all had their moments, a few prolific years, but it ended far too soon.
Rahane did not make it to 100 Tests, and Kohli fell 770 runs short of the 10K club. While Pujara crossed the 100-Test milestone, played 13 years, and scored 7195 runs, he faced 15,041 fewer balls than Dravid.
But numbers tell only part of the story. He batted in an era of challenging pitches where top-order batters struggled worldwide. Yet, he conquered the mighty Australians, not once, but twice.
Rahul Dravid’s ESPNCricinfo profile begins with “Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batters.”
He was a rare breed but was not alone: Chanderpaul, Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sangakkara stood alongside him. Later came Cook, Trott, Elgar, Azhar Ali, and yes, Pujara.
Although Root and Williamson carry on the tradition of Test match batting, their style blends the old with the modern.
But with Pujara’s retirement, it feels like the cricket world has truly witnessed the last of the classical Test batters.
The end of an era.
What Cheteshwar Pujara Taught Me
We live in a world of Reels and TikToks, where watching a 15-second clip seems too long, a 45-minute class boring, and a five-year career? Unfathomable.
In a world of instant gratification, Pujara reminds me that old-school values still matter.
Resilience. Patience. Grit. These words immediately spring to mind when you think of Pujara. His relationship with time was beyond imagination. The ability to have a long-term vision, while making every moment count.
What Will I Remember the Most?
Apart from the Australia series and the partnerships, I will remember Pujara’s cut shots, and movement against spin. Speaking of spin, a word on Nathan Lyon.
Nathan Lyon vs Pujara was one of our generation’s greatest contests. One of the finest off-spinners of all-time tried every trick, and all Pujara does is dance down the wicket, and pad him away. Something I will never forget.
I highly recommend watching the first season of The Ashes. The Australians saw so much of Pujara that he broke them mentally and physically. I will leave you with some quotes from that web series:
“Pujara, to a younger generation, is almost a curiosity. As the game moves more and more towards T20, the savior of our game, the word ‘resilience’ starts to go out, because there is no time for resilience.”
– Harsha Bhogle
“Pujara is old school, he’s a classic Test match batsman.”
“It would be lovely to just look at this here this week and go, why do we complain, why do we worry about Test match cricket?
…Why do people knock this format? It is just so wonderful, but I am afraid, other countries don’t have the luxury that England, India, Australia have…So, we and India and Australia have to keep an eye on the future of Test match cricket. If we let this go, we are not doing the game a service…We need to keep an eye on this and keep pushing it forward and look after those who are not as fortunate.”
Nasser Hussain
It is a beautiful sentiment, and most fans would likely agree, Nasser.
But it is also paradoxical.
This is probably not the ideal week to bring this up—not after five gripping Tests, packed crowds, and an absolute bonkers of a finish. But here is the uncomfortable truth:
In trying to save Test cricket, the Big 3 may be unintentionally suffocating it.
The Narrative that ‘Test Cricket Is Dying’ is Hurting the Game
Each time the Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, or an India-England series rolls around, we hear the same recycled narrative: “Test Cricket is in Danger.”
But is it really?
The love for the format was evident in the World Test Championship final, with South Africa showcasing their quality and a neutral English crowd adding to the occasion.
Test cricket is thriving, at least in England, Australia, and India.
And that’s precisely the problem. In their effort to protect and profit from the format, the Big 3 have increasingly started playing exclusively amongst themselves.
The spectators get quality Test cricket, packed stadiums, polished broadcasts, and high TV ratings. The format “stays alive.”
The Never-Ending Tri-Series
At this point, Test cricket has morphed into a never-ending tri-series between India, England, and Australia.
ENG in IND (Nov 16-Feb 17)
AUS in IND (Feb-Mar 17)
IND in ENG (Jul-Sept 18)
ENG in AUS (Nov 17-Jan 18)
IND in AUS (Nov 18-Jan 19)
AUS in ENG (Aug-Sep 19)
IND in ENG (Aug-Sept 21/22)
IND in AUS (Nov 20-Jan 21)
ENG in IND (Feb-Mar 21)
ENG in AUS (Dec 21-Jan 22)
AUS in IND (Feb-Mar 23)
AUS in ENG (Jun-Jul 23)
ENG in IND (Jan-Mar 24)
IND in AUS (Nov 24-Jan 25)
IND in ENG (Jun-Aug 25)
ENG in AUS (Nov 25-Jan 26)
Whoever said it was right.
India vs England is prep for the upcoming Ashes. Just like the Ashes will be prep for the next BGT.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world waits:
Zimbabwe have not toured Australia for a Test series since 2003.
Australia last played a Test against Bangladesh in 2017.
England did not tour Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2018.
India last visited New Zealand 2-match Test series in February 2020 before the pandemic. That feels ages ago.
Even the popular NZ-Eng series hasn’t seen a four-Test series since 1999.
And these are just a few examples.
Test cricket has practically only grown from 2 thriving cricketing nations to 3 thriving nations in a 150 years.
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) August 5, 2025
The Game Theory Problem: Everyone for Themselves
The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a classic game theory problem, a study of how rational decisions made in self-interest can lead to worse outcomes for everyone involved.
Imagine two individuals who are both accused of a crime and interrogated separately. Each has two choices: stay silent (cooperate) or betray the other (defect):
If both stay silent, they get out with light sentences (let’s say 1 year each).
If one defects while the other stays silent, the defector goes free (0 years) while the other gets a heavy sentence (10 years).
If they both defect, they each serve moderate time (3 years).
Logically, each person would want to defect to avoid the worst-case scenario. But when both individuals make the ‘rational’ choice, they end up worse off than if they had trusted each other. And that’s the dilemma:
Acting in self-interest leads to a collectively worse outcome, even when cooperation would have helped them both.
Cooperation Requires Sacrifice, but Cricket’s Not Designed for It
We have all criticized the ICC at one point or another.
But let’s give them some grace. Unlike other global sporting bodies, the ICC isn’t a centralized power.
Cricket is not a single unified business. Rather, it is network of competing bodies trying to protect their self-interests with the ICC acting as a mediator. Consider the Test-playing nations:
12 International Boards with their own finances and calendars. The boards need to care of their players, staff, stadiums, and local boards.
And of course, the broadcasters, whose rights deals prop up the whole system
That’s 50+ separate individual business entities, each trying to show profits, satisfy sponsors, and keep their board of directors happy.
Now, in theory, this can work. Money is not a zero-sum game, and multiple businesses can succeed together.
However, cricket has two unavoidable constraints:
The calendar: There are only so many days of the year and even fewer in a cricket summer seasons are even shorter.
The players: Unlike soccer, where there is a plethora of international quality athletes, cricket keeps copying and pasting the same pool of global T20 stars (think Rashid Khan, Pooran, Klaasen, Faf, Russell, etc.).
And when everyone’s fighting for the same weeks and the same set of players, it turns into Survival of the Fittest, a capitalistic model where some thrive but at the expense of the others.
Supply and Demand: The Big 3 Leagues are Draining the World’s Talent
England and Australia have short cricket summers, which means cramming Tests, County, bilateral series, and T20 leagues in a tight window.
The impact?
We rarely see the stars like Steve Smith or Mitchell Starc playing a full season of Big Bash or Ben Stokes playing in The Hundred.
Here’s the catch: The Big Bash and The Hundred and the individual franchises still need to maintain profitability. So what do they do?
They import talent. They poach the West Indians, South Africans, Kiwis, Pakistanis, and beyond to elevate the standard of their own leagues.
While England, Australia, and India try to ‘preserve Test cricket’ at home, their T20 leagues drain the talent pipelines of Test cricket elsewhere.
The smaller nations have a supply of great talent, but they don’t have the financial strength to retain them. These players have to go where the demand is: The IPL, Big Bash, MLC, The Hundred, SA20, ILT20.
But wait, Cricket West Indies, PCB, CSA, NZC, they all need to make money too, right?
To survive in the limited calendar, they have to make tough choices: Launching their own T20 leagues, trimming down Test tours due to cost and scheduling clashes, and squeezing random bilateral ODI series with India to stay financially afloat.
This creates a cascading effect: (1) oversaturation of cricket, (2) early Pooran-esque retirements, (3) higher injury risks, and (4) growing friction between players and their boards.
The Vicious Cycle of Modern Test Cricket
We can summarize the vicious cycle of modern Test cricket that we have know become accustomed to.
1. Big 3 Dominate the Calendar
India, England, and Australia pack their summers with high-profile Test series, leaving no room for their stars in domestic T20 leagues (except for the IPL)
2. Top Players are Poached from Smaller Nations
Leagues like the BBL and The Hundred fill the gaps by importing talent from smaller nations.
3. Smaller Boards Cut Tests to Survive
With finances tight, smaller boards prioritize limited over bilateral and launch their own leagues, but are unable to retain their players.
4. Test Quality Drops Justifying More Big 3 Series
Then, once in a blue moon, an Australia visits a West Indian side and completely decimates it. The “Test cricket is dying” narrative returns, reinforcing the idea that only the Big 3 can keep the format alive.
Final Thoughts: The Big 3 Didn’t Mean to Kill It. But They Are
As fans, we want it all—packed stadiums in the Caribbean, epic five-Test rivalries, a thriving County game, an entertaining IPL season, the Poorans & Klaasens lighting up the 2026 T20 World Cup, an ODI game that still provides finishes like the 2019 WC Finals, return of the Champions League T20, room for Associates to grow, and much more.
Unfortunately, with a finite cricket calendar, a limited player pool, and every board, franchise, and broadcasters all acting rationally in their own self-interest, something has to give.
The Big 3 claim to be protecting Test cricket, but what have they actually sacrificed?
I finally got around to watching the cult classic, Field of Dreams last month, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since.
It’s a story of broken baseball dreams. Of author Terence Mann. Of Archie “Moonlight” Graham, who played only one professional match and never got a chance to bat.
But more than anything, it is a story of sports and life. And a son and his dad. (If you haven’t watched it, go do that. Now. Trust me, you’ll shed a tear or two).
Watching it reminded me of why I started writing in the first place, back in June 2020 in the middle of the pandemic.
One random afternoon, my brother said, “Why don’t you write about cricket? You talk about it all the time. You used to enjoy writing essays in college. And you had a broken dream. I have an idea—You should start a blog and call it ‘Broken Cricket Dreams.’”
That was it. That’s how BCD was born.
Five years, 400 posts, and 685,500 words later, I am still writing.
Just like in our 200th Article Special which was filled with music from Frank Sinatra to John Lennon, this one is shaped by movie quotes.
1. “Words And Ideas Can Change the World…What Will Your Verse Be?”
Movie:Dead Poets Society (1989)
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
We don’t read and write poetry because it is cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion.
Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.’
[Walt Whitman’s Poetry] ‘…That you are here. That life exists. An identity. The powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’
What will your verse be?”
Reflection #1
I think about this quote often.
In school, we were always sorted into boxes. You were either a “math or science” kid or a “literature and humanities” kid. I was placed in the STEM category, went on to study mathematics, and now work with computer technology.
But there was always another side. I liked geography. Loved music. Shakespeare and the Greek writers moved me.
Maybe I never had to choose just one. Maybe what makes life rich is the mix of the ‘noble pursuits’ that keep life going and the poetry that gives it meaning.
Because words and ideas can change the world. Sometimes, they start revolutions. Other times, they quietly shift the way someone sees things.
Dead Poets Society is in itself a work of art that changed the way I view society. And what a soulful performance by the late Robin Williams. Those speeches stayed with me since middle school.
Oh captain, my captain. Whatever my verse will be, I just hope it is honest.
2. “If You Build It, He Will Come.”
Movie:Field of Dreams (1989)
“The one constant through all these years Ray, has been baseball….
America…it’s been erased like a blackboard. Rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.
This field, this game, it’s part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good. And it could be again…Oh, people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
Reflection #2
This quote teaches me two things.
One: sports transcends boundaries. What baseball is to the US, soccer is to Brazil, and cricket is to India—these sports are a cultural heartbeat that connects folks from different walks of life.
Two: “If you build it, they will come” applies to more than just a ghostly baseball fantasy. It holds true in any business. If you do the groundwork and make something worthwhile, people will come.
For me, that was the blog. For years, I felt like I was writing into the oblivion. But now, people have started to come. And I am grateful for every connection this journey has brought me.
3. “Is This Heaven? No, It’s Iowa.”
Movie:Field of Dreams (1989)
“Is there a heaven? Oh yeah…It’s where dreams come true.
….Maybe, this is heaven.”
Reflection #3
This one hits especially close. I spent four years in Iowa and looking back, those were some of the best years of my life. That place shaped me in ways I am still discovering.
We are always chasing the next thing—the next degree, job, or milestone. But sometimes, if we just stop for a moment and look around, we realize that maybe this is enough. Maybe, this, indeed, is heaven.
And the final scene from Field of Dreams? Still gets me every time.
4. “Let me speak endlessly, kindly. And even by accident—Let no harm come from my words.”
Movie:Anand (1971)
“Mann ko aashirvaad Baba. Jo sada hasta rahe.
Main Kabhi chup na rahun. Bolta rahun. Beshumar Bolun. Achha Bolun.
Galti se bhi burai na nikle mere moon se.”
Translation
“Bless my heart, old sage. That I shall always laugh.
Let me never be silent. Let me speak endlessly, kindly.
And even by accident—Let no harm come from my words.”
Reflection #4
One of the most beautiful moments of Hindi cinema.
Anand, a man going through terminal illness, chooses to live with joy even while knowing that his days are numbered. And when he asks for blessings, he doesn’t pray for healing, but for the strength to keep spreading light until his last breath.
That’s a motto I’d like to live by.
5. “Each Man’s Life Touches So Many Other Lives.”
Movie:It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. And when he isn’t around…it leaves an awful hole, doesn’t it?”
Reflection #5
I will keep writing. Some pieces might spark something in a reader just enough for them to feel that they are not the only one. Others won’t. But that’s okay, I’ll keep writing anyway.
It’s A Wonderful Life reminds me how precious life really is and not to take any of it for granted. We are all here for a reason and our words, work, or even a passing conversation can have an impact far beyond what we’ll ever realize.
So, Why Do I Write?
Sometimes my brain gets overcrowded. I am wrestling with my thoughts, going through internal debates. It can get muddled up there pretty quickly.
Writing helps me sort through it. It brings me clarity. Sometimes, I don’t even know what I’m really thinking until I write it down. My favorite days are the ones where I start with a pre-conceived notion and over the course of research and a few edits, my own viewpoint shifts completely.
In a way, every piece is its own journey of self-discovery.
****
I never thought I’d be a writer. But it turns out this is the one thing that brings me real flow. Maybe even more than watching or playing cricket itself.
When I am writing, I lose track of time. It’s well past midnight as I write this. I should sleep, but well, I’m still here trying to tie all the loose ends together.
This wasn’t the dream. But maybe, it’s something even better.
The freedom to think, to express whatever I want, whenever I want. To be able to share it with the world, and more than anything, to have a family that supports me no matter what.
Maybe, this is heaven.
****
Thank you all for reading and supporting over these past few years. I appreciate you all.
Before you Go, Consider Supporting and buying my book on Amazon!
BULAWAYO, ZIM—In a move that stunned fans, broke Twitter, baffled statisticians, and visibly aged every commentator in the box, South African makeshift captain & No. 3 Wiaan Mulder inexplicably declared the innings on 367* at Lunch on Day 2. He later explained that he “never liked the idea of being remembered,” and the only reason he scored so many runs in the first place was to “confuse generations of future cricket historians.”
Although Mulder publicly stated that he stopped short of the 400* record out of respect for the legendary Brian Lara, our exclusive interview revealed a far more complicated reality.
The Declaration Heard Around the World
Announcement to the Reader:
“We like to ask the tough questions. The ones that have puzzled mankind for centuries:
Did aliens build the Pyramids? Are we alone in this vast Universe? What’s in the Bermuda Triangle?
And most importantly….Why did Wiaan Mulder Declare on 367*? Today, we ask the man himself.”
BCD: “Spill it. Why did you really declare?”
Mulder: “Not gonna say.”
BCD: “For nearly three hours after the declaration, we sat on the edge of our seats, waiting for an explanation. Social media was in meltdown mode. Was it a possible weather alert? Over-rate fines? A silent protest? Or did you just….get bored? What was it, Wiaan? We deserve the truth.”
Mulder: “You don’t wanna know.”
BCD: “Try me.”
Mulder: “It wasn’t a cricketing decision. It was a situational call.”
BCD: “Situational?”
Mulder: “Situation being….I may or may not have gotten a stomach bug…and let’s just say, I had to use the restroom for more than 30 minutes.”
BCD: “So…it wasn’t Lara?”
Mulder: “No, no. Of course it was Lara. I was watching the Wimbledon during lunch and caught a glimpse of him in the crowd. And it reminded me…the great Brian Lara still walks among us.”
BCD: “You were watching Wimbledon while you were in the toilet?”
Mulder: “That’s besides the point.”
BCD: “But why retire on 367?”
Mulder: “367 is a prime number. There was something beautiful, poetic about that.”
BCD: “So now are a math enthusiast too? Alright then, explain this: Why stop short of Lara’s 400, but not Hashim Amla’s 311*? You were on 307 before those back-to-back boundaries…and 307 is also prime.”
Mulder: “Yeah…I have been living with that mistake ever since lunch. Should’ve stopped at 307. Got carried away. Guess I had one too many beers this morning.”
BCD: “Alright then. But you were on 367!”
Mulder: “Some days you average 26.20. Other days, you score 367. Just the law of averages. Nothing more.”
BCD: “But 400 was right there. Why not go all the way or at least attempt to? Won’t you regret it? Records are meant to be broken. How will the sport progress otherwise?”
Mulder: “I knew I was close to a record. That’s when I knew it was time to walk away.”
Pause. Mulder takes a deep breath.
“Besides, breaking 400 would have skewed my Test average too much. I didn’t want to challenge Sobers, Lara, and Bradman on the same day.”
BCD: “You’re saying you declared for statistical balance?”
Mulder: “I am saying…I never liked the idea of being remembered. But I do like the idea of some poor cricket analyst 30 years from now looking at the scorecard and going, “Wait, what?”
And just as I was about to ask my next question, Mulder gazed into the distance, channeled his inner Juliet, and began to speak. Everything slowed down.
Mulder (continued):
“What’s in a number?
Everything in the world is temporary.
Records fade. Players retire. Names blur.
But confusion? Confusion sticks.”
BCD: “What does that even mean?”
Mulder: “Exactly.”
****
Before I could wrap up the interview and tie loose ends, Mulder stood up, dropped his mic, and vanished into the corridor in the most Mulder fashion. No explanation. He left behind an unfinished cup of tea, a stunned reporter, and a world still trying to make a sense of it all.
Sources say that Mulder plans to retire with 799 wickets, 99 hundreds, a Test average of 99.91, and a business startup with Brian Charles Lara called Legacy Records.
In all seriousness, what a wonderful knock by Wiaan Mulder. Scoring a triple century with a 100+ strike rate and then coming out to bowl is out of this world!
What an achievement. You’re a legend in my eyes, Wiaan.
I hope this is just the beginning of many more moments of glory to come. And I hope South African cricket continues to rise like it has over the past few days with spirit, class, and belief.
Also, credit where it’s due: Mulder gave a wonderfully grounded interview to Shaun Pollock after the day’s play.
This is one of the best interviews I’ve ever seen. Wiaan Mulder is a legend, even if he doesn’t think so. https://t.co/2ryHVJTmEM
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) July 7, 2025
🚨 Wiaan Mulder by the end of his career
1. Breaks 400* record 2. Takes 11 Wickets in an Innings 3. Catches every catch in the innings 4. Becomes a wicket keeper for a match and inflicts most stumpings 5. Hits 8 Sixes in an Over 6. Scores 952 runs by himself 7. Breaks most…
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) July 7, 2025
Cricket fans, I have cracked it.
The only fathomable reason why Wiaan Mulder would declare is because 367 is a prime number.
He saw the beauty in mathematics, and said, “That’s it, I’m done.”
Mathematician. Quizzer. History buff. Computer Scientist. CEO. Director. Storyteller. Writer. Public Speaker. Sports Administrator. Tanks of World War II. Cricket, football, volleyball. What connects all these seemingly unrelated worlds?
Just one individual: Joy Bhattacharjya.
When I first started watching Cricbuzz Live seven years ago, Joy immediately caught my attention. I already knew Harsha Bhogle, the voice of Indian cricket, and Gaurav Kapur from his early IPL shows and Breakfast with Champions.
Joy was a new face to me. And yet, I found myself waiting for his segments— the anecdotes, insights, and of course, the Joy Factor questions.
As a mathematician trying to find my voice in cricket writing myself, I find Joy’s story inspiring. I wanted to understand how he made the leap and bridged connections between his different interests. Without further ado, let’s explore Joy’s journey together.
To understand how Joy became such a compelling storyteller, we have to look no further than his own home.
He grew up in a household where curiosity was the way of life. Both his parents were voracious readers. His sisters would go on to become educators, and his brother-in-law was a Rhodes Scholar. It was his father, an Army officer in the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, whose stories left the deepest impression, from accounts of the 1946 Calcutta riots to the memories of the 1965 war.
Surrounded by books, Joy found his spark in Children’s Britannica, and local contests during Saraswati and Durga Puja celebrations gave him his first taste of quizzing.
He believes that success is a “function of the number of books that you read,” where each book or idea is capable of pushing you “into a hundred rabbit holes.”
Before sports, stats, or television, there was just a boy who had an endless hunger to learn.
The Formative College Years and the Beginning of Quizzing
Joy studied mathematics during his undergraduate years at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, followed by a year of MSc, and a Master’s in Computer Applications.
In his Tedx Talk, he recalls a literal bridge on campus with humanities and pure sciences on one side, and engineering on the other. That bridge would become a metaphor for his career: connecting numbers with narrative, creativity with logic.
It was during college that Joy took quizzing to a national level, appearing on Quiz Time in 1988, India’s first inter-collegiate quiz show.
In the 1990s, he transitioned into a career in media. He worked as a producer across television, served as Head of Content for the quiz show, Mastermind India, and eventually became the Head of Production at ESPN Star Sports. There, he helped launch Super Selector in 2001, a precursor to Dream XI and India’s fantasy league boom.
Since then, he has worked with National Geographic and the History Channel, hosted the CricIQ on ESPNCricinfo, and continues to write a quiz column for the Times of India.
From Super Selector to Team Director of KKR
The IPL changed the careers of many—Brendon McCullum, Lalit Modi, and yes, Joy Bhattacharjya. In 2008, Joy became the Project Director of Kolkata Knight Riders.
His experience designing Super Selector, a gamethat let fans build custom teams from live international matches helped him pitch a similar, data-driven strategy to IPL teams for the inaugural auction. In the end, it was KKR that brought him on board. Think of it like cricket’s early Moneyball moment.
Because the IPL was still new, Joy had the freedom to define his role: Auction strategy, logistics, marketing, operations, essentially everything behind the scenes that helped the team succeed.
And boy, did they succeed. After a shaky, multi-captain start, KKR lifted the trophy in 2012 & 2014, a clear high point in Joy’s career.
These days, Joy often reflects on this chapter fondly during Cricbuzz Live, from the aura of Jacques Kallis and the bond between Balaji and Gambhir, to the unlikely friendship of Ricky Ponting and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, and the star power of Shah Rukh Khan and Ganguly.
What I enjoy the most is the banter, dry humor, the movie references, and the pure conversation between Joy, Harsha, and Gaurav. Cricket talk at its finest.
Building Indian Sports: FIFA U-17 and Prime Volleyball League
As the IPL mature, Joy Bhattacharjya’s skills were called upon elsewhere.
India was gearing up to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and Joy was appointed as the Project Director. Organizing a global tournament across six cities, adhering to FIFA’s detailed operations manual, even relocating matches out of Guhawati due to rain forecast, all while delivering the most attended U-17 World Cup in history with over 1.3 million spectators, was no small feat.
Since then, he has shifted focus to volleyball, becoming the CEO of Prime Volleyball League (formerly, the Professional Volleyball League). Under his leadership, the league has gained momentum, expanded at the college level, and invested in grassroots development.
Even before the IPL, Joy was involved in organizing Premier Hockey League (PHL). As his LinkedIn profile states, he is “passionate about building sport, not just cricket, in India.” In his own words, “Every federation of every sport want India.” Now, the onus is on India to become a welcoming sporting nation.
His recent podcasts like Market and Sports are particularly fascinating on the impact of the IPL and India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics.
But wait, there is more.
He has also an author having co-written Do Different: The Untold Dhoni and The Great Indian Cricket Circus. Off-camera, Joy continues to surprise. He has taken up functional resistance training and he even got a tattoo!
True to form, he keeps pushing boundaries, both in sport and in life.
In 1984, the late mathematician Vaughan Jones discovered the Jones Polynomial, a breakthrough that bridged knot theory and statistical mechanics. He later received the Fields Medal, mathematics’ highest honor, and his work continues to influence quantum physics and molecular biology.
In a similar vein, Joy followed a range of interests and connected them, one by one. Three decades later, we can reflect on the enormity of what he’s built and the far-reaching impact he continues to have. He explored, he connected, he built bridges.
Joy has taught me the value of staying open-minded by welcoming new ideas, exploring unfamiliar disciplines, and committing to a life of learning. And doing it all without ever sacrificing humor, curiosity, or ‘joy.’
In Bengali, ‘Da’ means elderly brother.
Over time, Joy Bhattacharjya became more than a name on a panel or the host of quiz show. He became Joy Da, an elder brother to India’s sporting fraternity, a figure of warmth, wisdom, and enduring curiosity.
I will leave you with this question:
Would you rather be a jack of all trades, master of one, or all of the above like Joy?
Zimbabwe had South Africa in trouble at 55/4 when debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorious inside-edged to the keeper. The fielding side went up. The umpire and Pretorious stayed still.
Zimbabwe has made an impressive financial comeback, turning their $19 million deficit into stability. As a result, they now have the funds to host 8 Tests, a major win for a small cricketing nation.
But 8 Tests mean up to 40 days of cricket. Even at the minimum rate, implementing DRS for that many days would cost them at least $480,000, and potentially well into the millions.
So, the trade-off is clear: Zimbabwe can either afford to hosts more Tests or implement DRS, but not both.
For those wondering about DRS costs due to the ongoing #SAvZim match,
DRS costs about $60,000-$100,000 a day
For a 2-Test (5 day) series, the costs will rise an extra $600,000 to $2 million
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) June 28, 2025
As many have suggested on social media, the more interesting question is: Can the ICC subsidize the cost of DRS around the world?
Taking a Look at ICC’s Financials
Key Takeaways
According to their 2024 Financial Report, the ICC recorded $474 million surplus in 2024, a slight drop from $596 million in 2023.
ODI World Cup years remain the most profitable for ICC, but revenues from T20 World Cups are closing the gap. Notably, 2018 was the only non-pandemic year where ICC recorded a loss ($46 million), incidentally the last time there was no men’s ICC event.
The Bottom Line: Funding DRS across all Test matches would cost the ICC less than 5.1% of the their annual operating costs and about 2.3% of their reserve balance.
ICC Revenues, Costs, Total Surplus
Revenues from ICC Events
Costs from ICC Events
Other Revenues/Costs*
Total Comprehensive Income
2024
+$728,474,000
-$231,674,000
-$22,762,000
+$474,038,000
2023
+$839,147,000
-$246,489,000
+$3,356,000
+$596,014,000
2022
+$412,862,000
-$168,000,000
-$36,487,000
+$208,375,000
2021
+$432,146,000
-$96,510,000
-$10,029,000
+$325,607,000
2020
+$34,771,000
-$34,387,000
-$18,800,000
-$18,416,000
2019
+$602,908,000
-$184,565,000
-$25,683,000
+$392,660,000
2018
+$34,337,000
-$49,501,000
-$31,238,000
-$46,402,000
*Other revenues/cost include interest and investment income, general and administrative expenses, foreign exchange, net gain on financial assets, strategic investments, etc.
In 2017, the ICC restructured its financial model for the 2015-23 period, eliminating the $10-million contribution towards the Test fund. Instead, they agreed to redistribute ICC’s surplus back to the boards after every few years (practically, a bonus). This change actually proved lucrative to the Full Members:
Adjustment of dividend against advance to Members:
2019: -$300,000,000
2023: -$1,418,522,000
“In 2023, these advances have been offset against the surplus distributed to Members with the first tranche of such distribution (i.e. dividends) amounting to USD 300 million declared during the year 2020 and the second/final tranche amount of USD 1,418.5 declared during the year 2023, both with the approval of the Board of Directors.”
“The success of our media rights and commercial programme for our next four-year cycle means we are able to invest more money than ever before into our sport…This is by far the largest level of investment ever to go into cricket. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our Members to accelerate growth and engage more plays and fans and drive competitiveness.”
The Math: What Would it Actually Cost to Fund DRS Globally
There are 71 Test matches scheduled in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Suppose, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland, who are not part of the WTC, play 32 Tests in the next two years. (They are already playing 17 this year, Zimbabwe – 11, Afghanistan – 3, Ireland – 3).
That brings the total to roughly 103 Test matches, or a maximum of 515 days of Test cricket. Recall that DRS costs vary widely based on the setup:
Barebones system: $12,000-$15,000/day
Full-feature DRS: $60,000-$100,000/day
Suppose the ICC negotiates through partnerships, media rights, and pays upfront for the DRS, bringing the costs down to $50,000 per day for a full-functioning system.
At this conservative average,
$50,000/day x 515 days = $25.75 million
Spread over 2 years for the WTC cycle, that’s ~$12.88 million per year
That’s a fraction of ICC’s annual expenses and even less if we consider when you consider the finds available in the reserve pool (And if we really think about it, that’s about the amounts Rishabh Pant ($3.21 million), Shreyas Iyer ($3.18), Venkatesh Iyear ($2.83), Arshdeep Singh ($2.14), and Yuzvendra Chahal ($2.14 million) were paid this year in the IPL. So the money exists in the cricketing world, but the redistribution is the issue).
One alternative approach could be to decouple Snicko and Hawkeye from the DRS package. Snicko alone can cost as little as $3,500/day, while Hawkeye is the most expensive part of the DRS package.
Another idea is for the Big 3 to fund their own DRS (since they have deals with media companies) and for ICC to subsidize DRS outside the Big 3.
Should the ICC Bear the Cost of DRS?
Can the ICC bear the Cost of DRS? Yes.
But should they? That’s less straightforward.
If the ICC uses reserve funds to cover DRS, it may come at the cost of other priorities: Associate cricket development programs, women’s cricket, and grassroots infrastructure. $12-15 million is not a small amount.
Even if those areas are not directly impacted, protecting the surplus might push the ICC further down its current trajectory: expanding media rights, but at the cost of a competitive balance.
The trade-offs?
India-Pakistan forced together in group stages again
ODI World Cup limited to 10-14 teams
Champions Trophy kept alive with little purpose beyond revenue
Back-to-back T20 World Cups, reducing space in the cricket calendar
So yes, the ICC can pay for the DRS, but doing so means reconsidering what they value the most: commercial growth of the game or its fairness.
What would you choose? Risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars for one inside edge decision or let a single moment swing the course of a match?
****
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India’s $923 million in reserves is greater than the financial balance of the other 11 Test nations combined (~ $734 Million). India has been profitable in at least each of the last 10 years.
For financially strong boards like India and England, ICC distributions make up only around 10% of their total revenue. In contrast, boards such as Zimbabwe (~85%) and others like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand (each around 48%) remain heavily reliant on ICC funding.
Some of the more surprising outcomes include Australia currently operating at a loss, and Bangladesh and Pakistan ranking unexpectedly high. On a positive note, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe have all recovered from COVID-era setbacks and now maintain at least some level of reserve capital.
How I Evaluated the Financial Health of Cricket Boards
To assess the financial strength of cricket boards, I reviewed the official financial statements of all 12 Full Member nations. Based on this analysis, each country is assigned a category reflecting its overall financial health.
🟢 Financially Strong: India, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
🟡 Stable: West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan
🔴 Financially Vulnerable: Australia, Ireland
The classification is based primarily on each board’s most recently reported reserves, but also considers long-term trends in profitability, revenue, expenditure, and annual surplus or deficit over the past 5-10 years, wherever data was available.
In a previous analysis, I estimated that hosting a Test match can cost between $350,000-$1.4 million. This benchmark, combined with each board’s current reserves and cash flow, helps assess whether they can sustainably host Test cricket. To host 5 home Tests per year as part of a 10-Test calendar, a cricket board would need at least $1.7 to $7 million in available cashflow and reserves.
BCCI earned a profit of 5,761.01 Crore INR from the IPL in 2023-24. contributing to 59.14% of their total revenue. The WPL resulted in a surplus of 377.50 Crore INR.
For the 2023 ODI World Cup, BCCI received Rs. 324.95 Crore INR, while the expenses were 276.15 Crore INR.
The 2023-24 ICC distribution was 1042.35 Crore INR ($115,496,100).
Financial Health: 🟢 Strong (on paper) 6-Year Financial Trend: Balance rose from $82M (2022) to $427M (2023), mostly via assets
COVID Recovery: ✅ Fully recovered.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes, but long series may strain resources. They currently have $16.99 million in cash flow, which should be good enough for them to host 5 Test series in a season.
India Tour Dependency:Low. India toured Bangladesh in 2019/20, 2022/23 (+3 ODIs), and 2024/25 for 2 Test. There was not a meaningful enough changes in the finances in India tours.
ICC Income: $16 million (34.12% of annual revenue)
Bottom Line: Growth is real, but heavily skewed by asset gains. Still reliant on consistent tours and ICC support.
*Note: BCB had 2017-20 annual report and 2022-23 but not one for 2020-21 period.
Additional Notes:
The gain of assets took BCB’s balance from 10,654,580,032 BDT ($87 Million) to 46,205,040,900 BDT ($377.31 Million).
Quote from Annual Report
“The BCB finances have been boosted by proactive steps taken by the Board since 2017. This is evident in the figures. In the six years between 2011 and 2016 the Board had earned US $33.32 million in media, team sponsor and other rights while in just three years from 2017 to 2020, the BCB’s earnings stood at approximately US $29 million from the same sources.
Financial Health: 🟢 Exceptionally Strong 10-Year Financial Trend: Reserves grew from a low of $2.2 million (2021) to $69.29 million (2025), but incurred a small operating loss for the 2024-25 financial year.
COVID Recovery: ✅ Fully recovered. Suffered a loss of £14.875 million in 2020. They then had three consecutive years of profits between 2022-2024.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Enough reserves and cash flow to host marquee Test series.
India Tour Dependency:Moderate. Can survive without India and Ashes for a couple of seasons, but because of their high administrative expenses, they need these tours often. 2019 (Ashes + WC), 2023 (Ashes), and 2022 (India tour) all resulted in profits.
ICC Income: $41.33 Million (10.35% of annual revenue)
Bottom Line: Large revenues but also large administrative expenses. Ashes and India tours drive profitability.
ECB Reserves (2015-2025)
2015: +£ 70,039,000($111.17 Million) – @ £0.63 per USD
2016: +£ 73,106,000($104.44 Million) – @ £0.70 per USD
2017: +£ 35,747,000($44.68 Million) – @ £0.80 per USD
2018: +£ 8,580,000($12.08 Million) – @ £0.71 per USD
2019: +£ 11,248,000($14.80 Million) – @ £0.76 per USD
2020: +£ 17,097,000($22.20 Million) – @ £0.77 per USD
2021: +£ 2,222,000($3.04 Million) – @ £0.73 per USD
2022: +£ 22,973,000($30.63 Million) – @ £0.75 per USD
2023: +£ 35,392,000($43.69 Million) – @ £0.81 per USD
2024: +£ 58,246,000($73.73 Million) – @ £0.79 per USD
2025: +£ 55,431,000 ($69.29 Million) – @ £0.80 per USD
2025 Cash Flow: £263,343,000 ($329.18 Million)
*Even though there is a great deal of cash at hand, the amounts falling due within one year to creditors is £258,225,000.
ECB Turnover and Expenses
*Year Ended 31 January, 2025
Year
Turnover
Administrative Expenses
Other Gains/Charges*
Total Comprehensive Income
2016
+£133,967,000
–£114,186,000
–£16,714,000
+£3,067,000
2017
+£118,886,000
–£137,166,000
–£19,079,000
-£37,359,000
2018
+£125,465,000
–£137,761,000
–£14,871,000
–£27,167,000
2019
+£172,319,000
–£142,376,000
–£27,275,000
+£2,668,000
2020
+£227,993,000
-£164,182,000
–£57,962,000
+£5,849,000
2021
+£207,112,000
-£191,097,000
–£30,890,000
–£14,875,000
2022
+£302,504,000
–£226,171,000
–£55,582,000
+£20,751,000
2023
+£334,019,000
–£248,676,000
–£72,924,000
+£12,419,000
2024
+£336,066,000
–£248,540,000
–£64,672,000
+£22,854,000
2025
+£319,558,000 (+$399,447,500)
–£259,305,000 (-$324,131,250)
–£63,068,000 (-$78,835,000)
–£2,815,000 (-$3,518,750)
*Other gains and charges include Cost of Sales, other operating income, tax on profit, and effective portion of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges.
Quote from Annual Reports
“In 2017, ECB continued with high levels of contributions to our cricket network and stakeholders. A special fee distribution of +£1.3m was paid to each First Class County in each 2016 or 2017, relating to the 2018 home India series broadcast revenue. A further special distribution of +£1m is scheduled to be paid to each First Class County in either 2018 or 2019, relating to Cricket World Cup 2019 revenue. These previously unprecedented contributions, coupled with continued significant investment in strategic Participation and Growth initiatives, including the expansion of our first nationwide entry-level programme, resulted in a loss for the financial year of – £ 30.2 m (2016: – £ 37.3m).”
“Cricket was always going to face a difficult challenge to compete for engagement in 2024. While England Men hosted West Indies and Sri Lanka in a non-Ashes year, a blockbuster sporting summer saw both the Paris Olympics and the men’s football Euros taking place in the same time zone. This was not helped further by poor weather, particularly in the first half of the summer. Despite this, attendance of 2.84m represented our best ever attendance for a non-Ashes or India year. The recreational game saw record highs in terms of participation, driven by an increase of around 10 per cent in women’s and girls’ sections and teams.
Financial Health: 🟢 Stable 10-Year Financial Trend: Surplus increased from $65 million (2015) to $71.83M (2023).
COVID Recovery: ✅ Fully recovered. Had a slight loss in 2021 ($2.9 million loss), but have been above water year after year otherwise.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes. $62 million of cash in hand, annual profit of $10.9 million last year. Can definitely host a few 3 to 4-match Test series
India Tour Dependency:None. PCB are surviving even without India tours (Indirectly though, the ICC pool grows due to India-Pakistan ICC matches, which increases the amount that ICC pays each board).
ICC Income: $16 million (27.93% of annual revenue)
Bottom Line: Financially solid with recent home series in Pakistan. However, despite nominal growth in reserves, the sharp devaluation of the Pakistan Rupee from 104 PKR per USD in 2017 to 286 in 2023 has significantly eroded the real value of those gains.
PCB Reserves
2015: + 6,694,788,996 PKR ($65,748,316)– @ 101.8 PKR per USD
2016: + 8,283,173,629 PKR ($79,058,370)– @ 104.77 PKR per USD
2017: + 8,434,024,058 PKR ($80,447,198) – @ 104.83 PKR per USD
2018: + 8,283,173,629 PKR ($68,040,457)– @ 121.73 PKR per USD
2019: + 13,263,657,218 PKR ($84,237,003)– @ 157.47 PKR per USD
2020: + 17,099,164,322 PKR ($102,077,260)– @ 167.50 PKR per USD
2021: + 16,262,237,513 PKR ($103,189,088) – @ 157.61 PKR per USD
2022: + 17,304,552,163 PKR ($83,804,720) – @ 206.50 PKR per USD
2023: + 20,393,054,686 PKR ($71,829,749) – @ 286.62 PKR per USD
2023 Cash Flow: PKR 17,978,488,170 ($62,696,229)
PCB Revenues and Expenses
*Year ended June 30, 2023
Year
Revenues (in PKR)
Operating Cost (in PKR)
Other Gains/Charges* (in PKR)
Total Comprehensive Income (in PKR)
2016
+4,143,841,297
–3,299,320,243
+691,161,695
+1,535,682,749
2017
+4,373,244,912
–4,034,088,153
–135,604,446
+203,552,313
2018
+5,131,003,966
-5,136,332,519
-145,521,876
–150,850,429
2019
+11,248,251,959
–5,907,837,843
–359,930,527
+4,980,483,589
2020
+9,334,821,085
–5,030,821,564
–468,492,417
+3,835,507,104
2021
+6,330,842,117
-7,086,927,287
–1,258,277,393
–835,926,809
2022
+9,033,872,425
-7,599,150,590
–393,407,185
+1,041,314,650
2023
+16,424,122,531 (+$57,293,595)
-12,450,222,610 (-$43,446,377)
–885,478,598 (-3,089,210)
+3,088,502,523 (+$10,934,428)
“During this period, PCB hosted England twice after 17 years for two memorable series. Similarly, New Zealand also toured Pakistan twice for the red and white-ball series, and our teams toured Sri Lanka, the Netherland, Sharjah and participated in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia….In conclusion, PCB’s financial health continues to strengthen with cash reserves reaching its highest level ever.“
Financial Health: 🟢 Recovering 10-Year Financial Trend: Pre-Covid, CSA’s reserve went as high as $85.68 million, but 5 loss-making years between 2017-23 dropped their reserves to $20.02 million. A strong 2024 saw them bounce back to $63.83 million.
COVID Recovery: ✅ Fully recovered.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes, +$50.97 million cash flow at the end of 2024 financial year.
India Tour Dependency:Very High. India’s 2023/24 tour (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is) was a massive boost to CSA’s revenues.
ICC Income: R567 million – $30.58 million (37.88%)
Bottom Line: CSA now has both the surplus and cash flow to support Test cricket.
Why are the World Test Champions not hosting Tests in 2025?
South Africa will be going through stadium upgrades as they prepare to host the 2027 ODI Cricket World Cup. Hence, they will not be hosting a home Test, especially the esteemed Boxing Day Test.
In 2026-27, home Tests will be back for South Africa: 3 Tests vs Australia and England and 2 Tests vs Bangladesh. Women Tests vs Australia and India.
In the last 10 years, the Rand has gone from $1 USD = R. 9.65 to $1 USD ~ 18 R.
2013:+R400,011,000 (+$37.96 Million) – @ R10.54 per USD
2014:+R599,421,000 (+$53.95 Million) – @ R11.11 per USD
2015:+R707,095,000 (+$57.72 Million) – @ R12.25 per USD
2016:+R814,254,000 (+$57.07 Million) – @ R14.27 per USD
2017:+R655,444,000 (+$49.07 Million) – @ R13.35 per USD
2018: +R1,056,445,000 (+$85.68 Million) – @ R12.33 per USD
2019: +R856,430,000 (+$59.26 Million) – @ R14.45 per USD
2020: +R906,692,000 (+$48.33 Million) – @ R18.76 per USD
2021: +R685,669,000 (+$47.72 Million) – @ R14.37 per USD
2022: +R487,795,000 (+$30.87 Million) – @ R15.80 per USD
2023: +R368,406,000 (+$20.02 Million) – @ R18.40 per USD
2024: +R1,183,262,000 (+$63.83 Million) – @ R18.54 per USD
2024 Cash Flow: R 945,008,000 ($50.97 Million)
CSA Revenues and Expenses
*Year ending April 30, 2024
Year
Revenues
Operating Cost
Other Gains/Charges*
Total Comprehensive Income
2015
+R765,600,000
-R695,476,000
+R37,550,000
+R 107,674,000
2016
+R822,926,000
-R777,047,000
+R61,280,000
+R 107,159,000
2017
+R674,935,000
-R910,392,000
+R76,647,000
-R 158,810,000
2018
+R1,526,393,000
-R1,219,049,000
+R42,655,000
+R 349,999,000
2019
+R929,492,000
-R1,215,801,000
+R86,294,000
-R 200,015,000
2020
+R1,074,063,000
-R1,193,672,000
+R169,871,000
+R50,262,000
2021
+R512,438,000
-R732,362,000
-R1,099,000
-R 221,023,000
2022
+R778,353,000
-R996,624,000
+R19,397,000
-R 197,874,000
2023
+R700,240,000
-R904,441,000
+R84,812,000
-R 119,389,000
2024
+R1,888,455,000 (+$101,860,909)
-R1,158,812,000 (-$62,480,037)
-R85,213,000 (-$4,596,438)
+R 814,856,000 (+$43,943,740)
Other gains/charges includes investment income, net foreign exchange gains, fair value adjustments, share of loss from associate, share of profit from joint venture, and impairment of investment in associate
Quotes from Annual Reports
“We realised a 170% increase in revenue, reaching R1.89 billion. This increase was anchored by the inbound tour by India, and supported by several initiatives, including the successful hosting of the ICC U19 World Cup 2024.”
“Our financial stability has been reinforced with a net cash inflow of R810 million from operating activities and other strategic investments, including in African Cricket Development, the company behind the SA20 product. …The outcome was a profit before tax of R815 million, reversing the previous year’s loss.”
“I am pleased to present a strong financial performance for the year ending 30 April 2024. The results reflect revenue of R1.89 billion and net profit of R815 million, exceeding expectations and putting CSA in a healthy financial position for the balance of our four-year financial cycle and beyond.”
“Sri Lanka Cricket has stepped into 2024 with financial flexibility, a healthy balance sheet and bottom line, while having remained steadfast in our commitment to the development of the sport locally and in the international arena. In 2023, SLC has committed operational expenditure of 4.3 billion rupees towards international cricket and 2.8 billion rupees towards domestic cricket, providing vital funding to ensure that both structures have the best opportunities to achieve success.”
“The financial results in 2023 yet again demonstrates Sri Lanka Cricket’s prudent management of finances, as we made a revenue of 1,959 million (includes Participation Fee Income-Inbound from ACC, Participation Fee Income-Outbound from ACC, Sponsorships, Ground Hiring Income from Pakistan Cricket Board, Development Grant from ACC), positioning us strongly to invest in cricket and ensure its future growth.”
Financial Health: 🟨 Modest 10-Year Financial Trend: Reserves balanced between $10-20 million since 2016, with minor dip in 2022.
COVID Recovery: ✅ Recovered. 4 out of 5 years in the green from 2020-24.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes, but usually break-even or slight loss.
India Tour Dependency:Very high. India toured NZ in 2019/20 and 2022/23 (England also visited), both high profit years for NZC. Australia visited in 2024, which was also a profitable year.
ICC Income: 28.38 Million (48.45% of 2024 revenue)
Bottom Line: Well-run but tight margins. Financial health depends on India or ICC deals.
NZC Reserves (2016-2024)
2013:+ $ 7,077,531 NZD ($5.44 Million USD) @ $1.30 NZD per USD
2016:+ $32,628,000 NZD ($23.47 Million USD) @ $1.39 NZD per USD
2017:+ $26,043,000 NZD (19.29 Million USD) @ $1.35 NZD per USD
2018: + $17,879,000 NZD ($12.16 Million USD) @ $1.47 NZD per USD
2019: + $15,149,000 NZD ($10.10 Million USD) @ $1.50 NZD per USD
2020: + $19,829,000 NZD ($13.13 Million USD) @ $1.51 NZD per USD
2021: + $20,384,000 NZD ($14.26 Million USD) @ $1.43 NZD per USD
2022: + $13,653,000 NZD ($8.59 Million USD) @ $1.59 NZD per USD
2023: + $29,205,000 NZD ($18.03 Million USD) @ $1.62 NZD per USD
2024 Cash Flow: $33,881,000 NZD ($20.17 Million USD)
NZC Revenue and Expense
Balance as of 31 July, 2024
Year
Revenue (in $ NZD)
Operating Cost (in NZD)
Other Gains/Charges* (in NZD)
Total Comprehensive Income (in NZD)
2017
+$48,709,000
–$41,757,000
-$13,537,000
–$6,585,000
2018
+$55,442,000
–$42,231,000
-$21,375,000
–$8,164,000
2019*
+$59,400,000
-$60,700,000
+$0
–$1,300,000
2020
+$60,610,000
–$40,734,000
-$15,196,000
+$4,680,000
2021
+$62,518,000
–$43,509,000
–$18,454,000
+$555,000
2022
+$66,401,000
-$46,496,000
-$26,636,000
-$6,731,000
2023
+$97,064,000
-$63,067,000
-$18,445,000
+$15,552,000
2024
+$98,402,000 (+$58,572,619 USD)
-$64,136,000 (-$38,176,190 USD)
-$28,654,000 (-$17,055,952 USD)
$5,612,000 (+$3,340,476 USD)
*2019 Annual Report was not available, so the estimate is based on the 2017-18 and the 2020-21 reports (The -$60,700,000 includes both operating cost/other charges).
Quotes from Annual Report
“As our positive 2023-24 fiscal result shows, NZC is in a sound financial position, something of major importance to our Major Associations given our top-down funding model. Our long-term forecast warns of some head winds, and we have taken steps to ensure we will be best placed to navigate what is currently a volatile global cricket environment.”
“This is a plan that strives to safeguard the financial and commercial sustainability of NZC for the benefit of all, placing high amongst its priorities the need to invest and grow our commercial foothold in South Asia, to operate in an environmentally sustainable fashion, and to build strong partnerships with our broadcast partners at home and in India. The bottom line is that we all depend on each other to survive and flourish.”
“Revenue from broadcast, sponsorships, and ticketing all delivered year-on-year growth as new partnerships were formed, both domestically and offshore, including the marquee and offshore, including the marquee deal reached with Sony as our broadcast partner in the India sub-continent from 2024-2031.”
Financial Health: 🟨 Rebounding 6-Year Financial Trend: Recovered from –$18.9M (2017) to +$10.8M (2022)
COVID Recovery: ✅ Recovered.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes. They are hosting 8 Tests this year, but need to be cautious. They have plenty in reserves, but cash flow tends to be low.
India Tour Dependency:Very high. India visited Zimbabwe for 3 ODIs in 2022, which corresponds to the largest revenue they had in the six-year period. Hosting ICC Qualifiers also gives them a boost.
ICC Income: $13.5 Million (85.29% of 2022 Revenue)
Bottom Line: Quiet financial rebuild. Still ICC-reliant, but out of crisis.
Financial Health: 🟨 Fragile 10-Year Financial Trend: Flat but steady. Modes surplus maintained since 2020.
COVID Recovery: ✅ Recovered, but hindered by sanctions.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ❌ Not realistically, neutral venues inflate costs
India Tour Dependency:Moderate. While India doesn’t play Afghanistan often, it has played an indirect role in Afghanistan’s development with IPL contracts and home stadiums in Dehradun and Lucknow.
ICC Income: $4.75 Million (48% of revenue). This will rise to about $16.82 million in the 2024-27 cycle.
ACB Reserves (2017-2022)
Bottom Line: Surviving via ICC support. Lack of a home base continues to hurt.
2017:+1,902,994
2018: +$538,841
2019: +$1,550,462
2020: +$1,940,462
2021: +$2,180,462
2022: +$5,250,462
ACB Revenues and Expenses
Year
Revenues
Operating Cost
Total Comprehensive Income
2018
+$10,849,111
–$12,213,264
– $1,364,153
2019
+$13,121,708
–$12,110,087
+$1,011,621
2020
+$7,150,000
–$6,760,000
+$390,000
2021
+$6,170,000
–$6,410,000
+$240,000
2022
+$9,920,000
-$6,850,000
+$3,070,000
Additional Notes
ACB is investing heavily in developing domestic cricket stadiums, namely (1) Kabul International Cricket Stadium, (2) Logar Cricket Ground, (3) Najibullah Tarakai International Cricket Ground, (4) Paktika Cricket Ground, (5) Wardak Cricket Ground, and (6) Balk Cricket Ground. Budget for each ground ranges from $1-5 million.
Quotes from Annual Reports
“Hosting bilateral series and other tournaments is a significant challenge for Afghanistan…has had to host all of its ‘home’ games in neutral countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, or Qatar. This has resulted in increased expenses for the ACB, as it has to host both the Afghanistan team and the visiting team at the same time, which incurred higher costs for logistical arrangements and accommodation of both teams.”
“The recent political changes in the country have made it more challenging to transfer money into Afghanistan due to imposed international sanctions. This has caused difficulties for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) as most of its income comes from ICC distributions, the payments made twice a year. However, the ACB’s leadership and finance team have been working closely with the ICC to find alternative ways to transfer funds into the country to support the organization overcome this issue in the long term.”
“During 2018, ACB hosted Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in February and June, respectively. The forecasted revenue for each series was forecasted at USD 400k.”
Financial Health: 🔴 Negative Reserves, but Expected to Rebound 10-Year Financial Trend: Cricket Australia slipped from $111.03 Million USD reserves in 2016 to a $234K deficit in 2024. Six of the last 10 years have resulted in losses. Massive profits from the 2015 World Cup year has been keeping them afloat.
COVID Recovery: ❌ Still incomplete.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ✅ Yes, but high operating costs make financial planning critical.
India Tour Dependency:High. CA posted profits in 2019 and 2021 with record revenue numbers.
ICC Income: $37.53 Million (13.86% of 2024 annual revenue)
Bottom Line: CA currently has negative reserves, but cash on hand ($25.7 M AUD), access to $50 M in secured funding. The recently concluded BGT and upcoming Ashes in 2025-26 will put them in a position to bounce back over the next two years.
CA Reserves (2013-2024)
2013: +$8,147,220 AUD ($7.47 Million USD) – @ $1.09 AUD per USD
2014: +$26,676,000 AUD ($25.17 Million USD) – @ $1.06 AUD per USD
2015: +$114,168,000 AUD ($88.52 Million USD) – @ $1.29 AUD per USD
2016: +$149,895,000 AUD ($111.03 Million USD) – @ $1.35 AUD per USD
2017: +$98,600,000 AUD ($75.27 Million USD) – @ $1.31 AUD per USD
2018: +$87,841,000 AUD ($65.07 Million USD) – @ $1.35 AUD per USD
2019: +$97,743,000 AUD ($65.07 Million USD) – @ $1.43 AUD per USD
2020: +$54,588,000 AUD ($37.39 Million USD) – @ $1.46 AUD per USD
2021: +$59,450,000 AUD ($45.05 Million USD) – @ $1.32 AUD per USD
2022: +$48,795,000 AUD ($33.18 Million USD) – @ $1.47 AUD per USD
2023: +$31,901,000 AUD ($21.27 Million USD) – @ $1.50 AUD per USD
2024 Cash Flow: $25,621,000 AUD ($17.09 Million USD)
Cricket Australia might have low reserves, but their total assets total $96,589,000 AUD ($64.39 Million USD)
CA Revenues and Expenses
*Year ending 30 June, 2024
Year
Revenues(in AUD)
Operating Cost(in AUD)
Other Gains/Charges* (in AUD)
Total Comprehensive Income (in AUD)
2014
+$295,897,820
-$193,784,041
-$82,585,431
+$18,528,348
2015
+$380,875,000
-$227,259,000
-$66,124,000
+$87,492,000
2016
+$339,787,000
-$223,826,000
-$80,234,000
+$35,727,000
2017
+$313,005,000
-$251,582,000
-$112,718,000
–$51,295,000
2018*
+$399,265,000
–$272,077,000
-$137,947,000
–$10,759,000
2019
+$485,901,000
-$340,201,000
-$135,798,000
+$9,902,000
2020*
+$390,098,000
–$305,474,000
-$127,779,000
–$43,155,000
2021
+$405,350,000
-$302,350,000
–$98,138,000
+$4,862,000
2022
+$391,004,000
-283,439,000
-$118,220,000
–$10,655,000
2023
+$426,643,000
-$324,192,000
-$119,345,000
-$16,894,000
2024
+$406,245,000 (+$270,830,000 USD)
-$318,036,000 (-$212,024,000 USD)
-$120,473,000 (-$80,315,000 USD)
–$32,264,000 (-$21,509,000)
*’Member Funding’ and ‘Strategic Funding’ contribute to the other gains
Additional Notes:
Player salaries alone cost $121.4M AUD in 2024, underlining the board’s heavy expenditure base.
CA’s share of the 2015 World Cup host profit added $51M AUD to its earnings that year.
Quotes from Annual Reports
“The net result of operations for the year ended 30 June 2017, after distributions to State Associations of $112,242,699 (2016:$106,259,550) was a net loss of $50,802,002 (2016: surplus $9,701,628). The reduction in net result for the year ended 30 June 2017 was in line with Management and budgetary expectations and the Long Range Plan (LRP) four year planning cycle projections.”
“As we know, CA is currently at a low-point in its four-year cycle. Despite this, the first year of the new player agreement has resulted in a 7% uplift in player payments, and the extension of funding agreements with members included a 3.5% uplift this year. The net deficit for the current year, after funding to members, is $31.9M, a further $14.7M down to the previous year. Considering the content-driven $18.2M year-on-year revenue decrease, this result was anticipated and highlights the emphasis on managing costs and driving revenue through business transformation initiatives. CA depleted its reserves through the impacts of COVID, which in aggregate cost around $100m. Despite this, CA has cash and deposits of $25.7m, with a further $50m in funding available though a secured banking facility and is forecast to rebuild reserves through upcoming seasons hosting India and England.
Financial Health: 🔴 At-risk 7-Year Financial Trend: After modest reserves between 2019-2021, Cricket Ireland’s financial reserves have fallen to $3.15 million deficit in 2023. That year marked a critical transition point, with signs of stability ahead.
COVID Recovery: ❌ Not yet complete.
Can They Afford to Host Tests? ❌ Not currently. Their cash in hand has dropped from €1,336,4995 to €434,185 between 2022 and 2023. Hosting even a single Test would leave virtually no liquidity.
India Tour Dependency:High. Indias’s T20I visits (2 each in 2018 & 2022 and 3 T20Is in 2023) lead to noticeable revenue spikes, but also increased costs. Even an England tour could ease the pressure.
ICC Income: $4.75 Million in 2023 (40.36% of annual revenue). Under the 2024-27 ICC distribution model, Ireland is projected to earn $18.04 million offering a welcome financial cushion.
Bottom Line: Ireland remains heavily dependent on ICC funding, and current financial fragility limits its ability to invest ambitiously in the short term.
Cricket Ireland Reserves (2018-2023)
2017: +€216,817 (+199,472) – @ € 0.92 per USD
2018: +€13,470 (+$11,710.2) – @ € 0.87 per USD
2019: +€3,673 ($3,306) – @ € 0.90 per USD
2020: +€1,541,035 (+$1,263,648) – @ € 0.82 per USD
2021: +€310,166 (+$272,946) – @ € 0.88 per USD
2022: +€133,982 (+$125,943) – @ € 0.94 per USD
2023: -€3,464,422 (-$3,152,624) – @ € 0.91 per USD
2023 Cash In Bank and in Hand:€ 434,185
Cricket Ireland Revenues and Expenses
The financial end for Cricket Ireland year is 31 December.
Year
Income
Expenses
Total Retained Earnings
2018
+€9,708,177
– €9,911524
-€203,347
2019
+€10,624,514
–€10,634,311
-€9,797
2020
+€7,934,398
–€6,397,036
+€1,537,362
2021
+€9,739,048
–€10,969,917
-€1,230,869
2022
+€13,103,793
–€13,279,977
-€176,184
2023
+€10,211,129 (+$11,769,397)
-€13,809,533 (-$15,916,935)
-€3,598,404 (-$4,147,538)
*expenses include both direct and administrative expense and Income includes both ‘income’ and ‘other operating income.’
Quotes from Annual Report
“2023 was a challenging, but ultimately successful year – both on- and off-the-field…Covid was still a real and present threat when this Strategic Plan was developed and the uncertainty of the time saw an ambitious but measured document…However, as we enter a new phase in our development as a cricket nation, we will see an uplift in our ICC distribution over the period, and anticipate our allocation to be approximately US$70M, albeit weighted to the backend where around 40% of these funds will be paid in 2027….2023 will be a year to remember for many – and it will hopefully be seen in time as a seminal year for Irish cricket.”
I can understand why South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand did not host many Tests in recent years.
COVID-19 losses, funding issues, and player availability made things complicated. But now? These boards have rebuilt their reserves. ICC distributions are growing, and India tours bring massive broadcast revenue.
Countries like Ireland and Afghanistan still cannot afford to host a single Test. Australia, despite paying its players among the highest salaries in the game, hasn’t turned a profit in years. India sits at the economic center of world cricket, and it is doing its part.
The money now exists for countries outside the Big 3. The onus is now on every board to give Test cricket the calendar space it deserves.
****
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Dear Temba, thank you. For bearing the burden of pain, expectations, and voices that never believed in you. For carrying the weight of a nation as its leader. For your Player of the Series performance in Sri Lanka and for becoming this team’s most consistent batter over the last two years.
You stood tall in the Final. You hobbled on one leg and carried generations on your back with an unforgettable 147-run stand with Markram.
You didn’t just survive. You answered the critics. And most importantly, the call of a nation desperate for a moment like this.
Dear Kagiso, thank you. For walking through fire—the off-field controversies, the noise, and the no balls—to deliver one of the finest bowling displays in South African history. For the many five-fers across the two-year cycle, the brilliance in Bangladesh, and the records you shattered along the way.
But at Lord’s, you climbed higher. In those four days, you touched greatness.
Dear Aiden, thank you. For the innings of a lifetime against the fiercest of attacks in Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, and Lyon. You held your nerve and found your flow.
After the disappointment of the T20 World Cup, you came back stronger. From the innings against Pakistan to the balcony at Lord’s, you never looked back.
And yes, thank you for those beautifully exquisite cover drives. And for the golden arm off-spin, always delivering when its least expected. As Temba said, you got character, mate. And that is what matters.
Dear Lungi, thank you. For proving you could bowl the long, decisive spells. You changed the game with grit and rhythm when it mattered the most.
Dear Marco, thank you. For that catch. For the spells. For becoming the all-rounder that South Africa can rely on. And for the Player of the Series performance against Pakistan that helped carry this team to the Final.
Dear Keshav, thank you. For being the senior pro that the team could look up to. The heartbeat of the team. Your constant contributions in Bangladesh and Sri lanka, and that magnificent performance against the West Indies were vital in bringing South Africa to the Final.
And those tears of joy and relief after the win? Those moments are etched in our memories forever.
Dear Kyle, thank you. For that century in Bangladesh and the 105 in Sri Lanka. And most of all, for hitting the winning runs. That image will never be forgotten.
Dear David, thank you. For choosing the road less traveled by and going to that New Zealand tour while others played in the SA20. For scoring that gutsy 110. And what a performance in the final, rescuing South Africa in the first innings and staying till the very end in the second.
Dear Tristan, thank you. For taking clutch catches in the final and for providing sparks of brilliance throughout the campaign with knocks of 122, 106, 68*, 30* that lit up the campaign. The future is bright, and it’s all yours.
Dear Ryan, thank you. For that 259 against Pakistan in a must-win game. The innings that kept the dream alive and pushed South Africa one step closer to glory.
Dear Wiaan, thank you. For doing the tough jobs with a smile. An all-round showing against the West Indies, a century at #7 in Bangladesh, and a crucial knock at #3 in the Final that kept South Africa in the game.
Dear Dean, thank you. For opening this World Test Championship cycle with a magnificent 185. For setting the tone. You may have retired, but your imprint in this triumph remains.
Dear Tony, Senuran, Dane, Corbin—thank you. Tony’s 177, Muthuswamy’s 4-fer vs Bangladesh, Dane’s 5-fers vs Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and Corbin’s 4-fer & 81* vs Pakistan all played a role. Every contribution mattered. The bench is strong, and South Africa’s future in Test cricket is bright.
And Dear Coach Conrad Shukri and the Support Staff, thank you. For backing this group. You helped nurture an environment from which champions could emerge.
So once again, I say, Thank you Temba. Thank you Kagiso. Thank you Aiden. Thank you Conrad. And to Ryan, Wiaan, Tristan, David, Kyle, Marco, Keshav, Lungi, Tony, Corbin, Dane, and Senuran, Dean, Nandre, Gerald, and anyone I am forgetting, thank you.
I may not be South African, but through Hashim Amla’s elegance, Faf du Plessis’ blockathons, AB de Villiers’ magic, and Dale Steyn’s action I spent hours trying to imitate, I fell in love with South African cricket.
More often than not, I found myself cheering for them. Every story felt personal. Every match felt like it was mine. And when the 2015 semi-final ended in a heartbreak, it left scars, even for a neutral fan.
That’s why this win means more. This team didn’t just lift a trophy, they healed something. And if it healed something in me, I can only imagine what it meant to those who lived this journey for a lifetime.
I may not grasp every nuance of South African society or the full weight of what this means in a broader context. But I understand what it means to love a team through pain and to finally see them rise.
“This is for every cricketer that played a part in the beautiful cricketing history of the Rainbow nation. And for every Protea fan who stood by their team through the highs and lows.
This is for you. And this is for me.
What an absolute moment for world cricket.
This is for Graeme Smith. This is for Shaun Pollock. This is for Graeme Pollock. This is for Lance Klusener. This is for Dale Steyn. This is for Shabnim Ismail. This is for Allan Donald. This is for AB de Villiers. This is for Laura Wolvaardt. This is for Hashim Amla. This…
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) June 14, 2025
South Africa’s Dream, Realized by Bavuma and the Class of 2025
Persistence pays.
Through the heartbreaks and doubts, this team did not give up. Did not deviate from the end goal.
Thank you, Temba. Thank you, South Africa.
For the belief. For the fight. For the quiet grace with which you carried the weight of history. From a fan who watched with admiration, I will not forget what the Class of 2025 gave us.
****
I’ll leave you with the best content from Temba Bavuma’s WTC win. Thank you for reading.
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Legacy or Livelihood: Dilemma Facing Modern Cricketers
Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen made their choices.
They were not dropped. They simply walked away.
Why? Because they received better offers.
Pooran stepped away from international cricket at 29. Klaasen followed at 33. The one that started the trend: Quinton de Kock left Tests at 29 and all internationals by 31.
International cricket once offered pride, purpose, and legacy. But today, that is no longer enough. One IPL deal can outpay a decade of national contracts. T20 leagues offer flexibility, certainty, and family time. International cricket? Long tours, lower pay, and a scheduling mess.
Nicholas Pooran could earn $3.09-$4.03 million across 9 franchise leagues and play around 91 matches in a year (more if team qualifies for playoffs/finals).
In contrast, a West Indies central contract and international match fees would only add about $130,000-$180,000.
Had they signed central contracts, Klaasen and Pooran would have earned just 5-16% and 3-6% respectively of their total income from international cricket.
By comparison, top players from the wealthier big 3 boards earn significantly more from internationals:
Joe Root: 83.43% of $1.63 million, Mitchell Starc: 32-38% of ~$2.3 million, and Virat Kohli: 32% of $3.9 million
*Note: We will only look at national contracts, match fees, and franchise league income (not sponsorship or miscellaneous income).
How Much Does Nicholas Pooran Earn from Franchise Leagues?
Cricket West Indies (CW) is actually in its strongest financial position in years. As detailed in our financial deep dive, CWI turned a $21 million deficit into a $46 million surplus.
For the first time in a decade, they can afford to host 3-match Test series, upgrade infrastructure, and explore player retention strategies.
And yet, it was not enough to keep their biggest star.
Nicholas Pooran does not play Tests and has not featured in an ODI since 2023 (arguably is his strongest format). And with West Indies failing to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, his international workload had vanished.
If Pooran had signed a central contract, he would have earned just 3.35-6.61% from international cricket. Here is how the numbers stack up:
Central Contract: $100,000-$150,000 (If he had signed the national contract)
Match Fees: $31,200 (he played 18 T20Is in the last 12 months)
IPL Salary: $2.1 million
IPL Match Fees: $126,000
Other Franchise League Salary: $783,000-$1,807,000
If he continued playing international cricket, he would likely need to drop two franchise leagues, costing him $200,000-$400,000 in total earnings. That would bring his total down to $2.74 million-$3.91 million.
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract:3.35-6.61%
Nicholas Pooran’s Salary Breakdown (Franchise Only)
Pooran will most likely earn the most sought after prices in each of the franchise leagues. We have provided an estimate of each of his leagues (based on averages and maximum cap the league has).
Earning about $3.09-$4.03 Million from 91 matches means he earns about $33,000-$43,000 per T20 league game. That’s more than most people’s annual household income.
Even we round up that T20I match fees to $2000, one T20I game only earns Pooran about 6% of what one franchise T20 game can earn him.
No Tests, no ODIs, 6% of T20 income, what motivation does Pooran have to sign the national contract?
Pooran League by League Salary Estimates
Salary
Number of Matches
IPL
$2.1 Million
IPL (Match Fees)
$126,000
14
BBL
$196,000-$275,000
10
ILT20
$150,000-$272,000
10
SA T20
$110,000-$250,000
10
Hundred
$103,000-$270,000
8
MLC
$92,000-$200,000
7
PSL
$66,000-$300,000
10
CPL
$46,000-$160,000
10
BPL
$20,000-$80,000
12
Total
$3.09-$4.03 Million
91
91 days in franchise cricket does not sound like much, but this does not include training, travel, and jet lag. 91 match days means he will rarely have time between leagues.
Notes:
Nicholas Pooran was a wildcard pick in 2024 SA T20, where the minimum price is 175,000 ZAR ($9890), but this salary is outside the salary cap.
The ILT20 is going to cut its salary cap by 20% in the upcoming season and go to an auction model. The maximum price earlier for ILT20 was $340,000. Reducing it by 20%, we get our estimate of $272,000. In addition, wildcard signings for this season can go up to $250,000
We show maximum estimates from franchises, but Pooran will most likely not play all leagues. For example, with the PSL clashing with the IPL now, he will most likely give up the $66,000-$300,000 income or only pay a couple of games and receive a pro-rated amount.
Central Contract: $68,000-$363,000 (If he had signed the national contract)
Match Fees: $145,000-$221,000
IPL Salary: $2.74 million
IPL Match Fees: $126,000
Active Franchise League Salary: $435,823-$463,518 (MLC, SA20, The Hundred)
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 5.44-16.62%
The Big 3 vs the Rest: Exactly How Much More Money are India, England, and Australia Paying?
Pooran and Klaasen are top tier players for their teams. How does their income compare with the top tier players of the Big 3?
We look at Joe Root (England), Virat Kohli (India), and Mitchell Starc (Australia) since they are most likely receiving their country’s highest contracts.
Joe Root Salary ($1,629,520)
Central Contract: ~£800,000 ($1,079,520)
Match Fees: £207,500 ($280,000)
£162,500 (Tests), £45,000 (ODIs)
Hundred: ~£200,000 ($270,000)
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract:83.43%
Maximum Days of Cricket: 86 Days (65 – Tests, 9 – ODIs, 12 – Hundred)
England’s national contracts can go as high as £800,000 ($1,079,520) and the top category for the Hundred at £200,000 ($270,000). In addition, match fees for England internationals is as follows: £12,500 (Test), £5,000 (ODI) and £3,500 (T20I).
In the last 12 months, Joe Root has played 9 ODIs and 13 Tests taking his match fee total to £207,500.
Since Joe Root is contracted by ECB, he does not receive extra County salary, but can play for County teams when availability allow (For context, a non-centrally contracted England player earns a minimum of $29,000 and an average of $125,000 from County cricket).
The match fees for Indian cricketers is: $17,500 – 15 Lakh Rs (Test), $7,000 – 6 Lakh Rs (ODI), and $3,500 – 3 Lakh (T20I). At his peak in 2022-2023 when he played all formats, Kohli earned about $435,000 in match fees between 2022-2023 when India played 9 Tests, 27 ODIs, and 20 T20Is)
*This excludes ~$50,000-$75,000 for IPL winning bonus and player of the match awards.
“Australia’s lowest central contract is US$225,000 although the vast majority, if not all, of Australia’s Test XI, would be earning more than US$600,000.”
The match fees tiers are as follows: $12,500 USD (Home Test), $17,725 (Away Test), $4,800 (ODI), $3,800 (T20I). In the last 12 months, Starc has played 7 Tests (5 home, 2 away), 6 ODIs, and 5 T20Is.
*Starc has not played in the Big Bash for about a decade. An Australia player who plays BBL and 3 formats can earn an additional $200,000-$300,000 to what Starc is earning.
International cricket is crumbling in front of our eyes.
QDK, Pooran, and Klaasen won’t be the last ones to walk away. If ICC and the national boards do not get their act together soon (which they probably won’t), the fabric of international cricket will be completely destroyed.
They have forced a question that we can no longer ignore:
Choice 1: The Professional’s Choice
Franchise leagues offer higher pay, more personal freedom, and more chances to be a ‘big fish in a small pond.’ With only 4-5 years of peak, cricketers need to earn to live off the next 40-50 years of their lives. From this lens, leaving the international arena is not abandonment. It is a necessary decision.
Choice 2: The Purist’s Stand
Playing for one’s country represents history and purpose. T20 leagues pay well, but they do not build a legacy. And how much is enough? Isn’t one IPL league good enough to complement international cricket? At some point, the player needs to meet the cricket board halfway.
Now that you know the salary estimates, put yourself in their shoes.
What would you choose? Would love to know your thoughts. Comment Below.
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Here are all of our salary breakdowns for different franchise leagues:
