The ECB have managed to get approval from the 18 counties and the MCC for a ‘direction of travel’ (whatever that means) as a next step towards privatizing The Hundred. This will change the revenue model currently in place between the ECB & the Counties.
This made me wonder why the ECB had come up with The Hundred in the first place and why they are now moving towards privatizing the tournament.
Are all County clubs struggling financially? If yes, how bad are their situations?
I wanted to get to the bottom of this. So I researched all 18 Counties’ (and MCC’s) Annual Reports & Financial Accounts.
Here is what I found out after perusing through about 617 pages of annual reports.
Key Takeaways
Surrey (£ 8 Million – 2023), Lancashire (£ 2.4 Million – 2022), and Warwickshire (£ 1.3 Million – 2023) saw the most profit in a year, while Yorkshire (£ 7 Million Loss – 2023), Hampshire (£ 1.3 Million – 2022), and Gloucestershire (£ 1.2 Million – 2023) had the largest losses.
I separated the Counties in three categories based on their current financial health status.
Several teams highlighted inflation, rising interest rates, and rising energy costs as points of concerns looking at the future.
Although Test cricket is usually costly to host and results in losses for most cricket boards, County Clubs benefit when they host Ashes Tests (and ODIs). Membership soars, tickets are sold out, and the general interest in the County game increases. That is why many Counties experienced a boost in 2023 (except for Yorkshire).
The Counties below are arranged by the profit/loss in their latest released financial statements (not their overall reserves). We have summarized quotes from annual reports, factors contributing to growth, future outlook & concerns, etc. to provide a holistic view of the club. We made our financial health assessments as follows:
Green: Annual profits (mostly) for two years in a row and surplus reserves.
Yellow: (1) Recent annual losses but overall surplus reserves, (2) recent profits but negative reserves, or (3) concerns from the treasurer/CEO/chair in their written statements despite positive financials.
Red: Annual losses for two years in a row as well as negative reserves.
If debts and loan repayments were called out in the report, we mention it. However, other important metrics like detailed balance sheet and long-term debt analysis for each County is a deep dive for another day. (All the sources are linked at the end of each section if you are interested to learn more).
*Note: Results are presented from the club’s most recent Annual Report. Some clubs have already released their 2023 reports (that covers both 2023 & 2022 financial reports) while some others have only released 2022 reports (that cover 2022 & 2021 financial reports). The reports are sourced at the end of each section.
**The annual total represents the total comprehensive income for the club after taxation.
1. Surrey (£ 8 Million Profit)
Division: Division One
Home Ground: The Oval
Financial Health Status:Green
Assessment: Positive annual returns pushed their reserves even higher, but they are expecting a tough 2024.
Surrey’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total
+ £ 7,999,000
– £ 1,332,000
Total Reserves
+ £ 29,200,000
+ £ 21,167,000
Treasurer’s Report Summary
“We have delivered an excellent financial performance in 2023 and look forward to continuing growth over the medium term. In the short term however, we expect a difficult year in 2024. We have a Friday start in our Test match, and an IT20 not an ODI.”
Positive Highlights from Surrey’s Annual Report
Membership grew by 18,739
Men’s Ashes Test (Sold Out), India vs Australia WTC Final (Sold Out)
Women’s Ashes IT20 (20,000 tickets)
Strong T20 Vitality Blast Attendance
Financial Concerns for Surrey County Cricket Club
Inflation, Increases in Rent
Overheads expenses increased by £6,300,000 compared to 2022
Staffing Increase Costs (recovery from COVID staff reduction)
Assessment: The Ashes helped boost Warwickshire’s 2023 return. Financial growth moving in the right direction for the club.
Warwickshire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023 (10/01/2022-12/31/2023)
2022 (09/30/2021-09/30/2022)
Annual Total
+ £ 1,310,068
+ £ 123,791
Total Reserves
+ £ 8,783,073
+ £ 7,233,214
*Note: + £ 277,600 revaluation reserve was added to the + £ 1,310,068 for a total growth of + £ 1,588,069 in the 15-month period.
Chief Operating Officer’s Report Summary
“In summary, revenue for 2023 was substantially higher than in 2022, principally driven by hosting the men’s Ashes Test match. Costs were also substantially higher in 2023 primarily due to the increase in Major Match day (MMDs) staging fees paid to the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the additional 3 months salary costs…”
Positive Highlights from Warwickshire’s Annual Report
Men’s Ashes Test
Catering and hospitality revenues (driven by the Ashes Test)
T20 Blast and Hundred ticket revenue increases
Partnership revenue increases
Financial Concerns for Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Expenses increase (cost of sale, administrative cost, overhead costs)
Inflation
Operating EBITDA decreased 6%
*Year ending on 31st December, 2023 (Note: Warwickshire changed their annual report date from 30th September to December so had 15-months to account for in this latest report instead of just the 12).
Assessment: Although 2022 was not as profitable as 2021, the club retains its massive surplus.
Nottinghamshire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2022
2021
Annual Total
+ £ 689,623
+ £ 1,331,476
Total Reserves
+ £ 6,726,973
+ £ 6,037,335
Treasurer’s Report Summary
“Although there were some positive and negative movements in comparison tour budget for the year, the end result was closely aligned to our forecasts. he continued generation of surpluses has ensured the club continues to meet all of its debt repayments, minimising any interest charges accrued…”
Positive Highlights from Nottinghamshire’s Annual Report
Hosted Test, T20I
“Larger-than-forecast number of membership subscriptions
Strong catering and retail return on Day 5 of Test match
“Successful staging of The Hundred…to a significantly better level than in 2021.”
Financial Concerns for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Scheduling concerns (Friday start to Test match caused hospitality and Day 4 financial concerns)
3 home Vitality Blast games in five days
Rising electricity prices, rising national minimum wage
Assessment: From the financial statements, Somerset is growing and has ample surplus. However, the annual report suggests that the board of directors are wary of challenges that may impact them in this straining economy.
Somerset’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2022
2021
Annual Total
+ £ 399,328
+ £ 149,087
Total Reserves
+ £ 10,231,772
+ £ 9,833,700
Financial Review Summary
“…the year…represented a return to something resembling a more ‘normal’ year, although operations were negatively impacted by challenges emanating from the legacy of the pandemic…We are well positioned financially to absorb potential economic shocks over the coming months and to take advantage of opportunities that we are proactively seeking out, as we operate in an economic, political and cricketing landscape of rapidly-changing variables and volatility.“
Positive Highlights from Somerset’s Annual Report
Surplus in these two years meant that ‘debt levels remain manageable’
+ £ 540,562 resulting from membership subscriptions and match receipts
Strong year by the commercial team as it relates to business partners and sponsors
Financial Concerns for Somerset County Cricket Club
Inflation, conflict in Europe, rising interest rates
Assessment: Durham has benefitting from external events to add to their surplus and recent profits.
Durham’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
2021
Annual Total
+ £ 1,531,190
+ £ 333,033
+ £ 1,560,754
Total Reserves
+ £7,888,727
+ £ 6,357,537
+ £ 6,024,504
*Note: In 2023, £ 285,756 was the profit for 2023, while £ 1,531,190 was the total comprehensive income for 2023 (including £ 1,245,434 was the revaluation of tangible fixed assets)
Chairman’s Review Summary
“With our events business performing strongly and the strong financial management of the last few years continuing, I am delighted to report a profit of £333,0333 in the current financial year as we look to continue strengthening our financial position for the challenges ahead…The key business risks affecting the group are considered to relate to staging of international cricket and the share of money we receive that is generated through the ECB…Failure to stage international cricket beyond this date would have a financial impact on the group through lost turnover.”
BusinessLive Article Summary
According to BusinessLive, who had access to Durham’s 2022 Annual Reports and financial statements, they quoted Chairman Lord Botham as follows:
“Current year turnover has risen to £ 8,048,739 as a result of the Durham Cricket Events business performing strongly over the year.”
*In 2021, the turnover was + £ 7,108,908
Positive Highlights
Plans of building a hotel on site
Concerts & events provide financial boost
Two fixtures two host (in 2026 & 2028)
Food and beverage income almost doubled
Potential Concerns
Average number of employees decreased by 16 (135 to 119)
*Year ending on 30th September, 2022
Note: I could not initially find Durham’s annual reports, so had to rely on the Business Live article. Special thanks to Reuben Herbert and Graham Smith for sending me Durham’s updated financials and pointing me in the right direction!
They should still publish accounts at Companies House.
“Middlesex Cricket can today announce that for the financial year ending November 2023, the Club has recorded a profit after tax of £ 131,000...After such an extended period of posting significant losses, to turn the business around a time when the game is under financial pressure is a credit to everyone involved.
“After two years of extremely heavy losses caused by the pandemic and the pension scheme deficit, in 2022 we began the slow journey back to financial stability…The net assets of the Club that were less than £ 200K at the start of the year have now been exhausted. What this means is that making a profit in the year ahead is non-negotiable and that our activities and ambitions must be focused on meeting this target.“
Positive Highlights from Middlesex’s Annual Report
ECB county partnership agreement fees increased
Member subscriptions, ground receipts, sponsorships, hospitality/events saw an uptick
Financial Concerns for Middlesex County Cricket Club
Wages and salaries cost increased
Insurance, social security, pension costs, etc. increased
Assessment: Not as much of a surplus as some of the bigger clubs, but they have been profitable and are slowly moving return to normal from the financial consequences of the pandemic.
Northamptonshire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total
+ £ 110,164
– £ 1,474
Total Reserves
+ £ 1,361,920
+ £ 1,251,716
Directors’ Report Summary
“Post pandemic the club benefitted as the local community looked to enjoy life again. Season ticket sales, gate income, and conference & events revenue not only recovered, but far exceeded pre-pandemic levels.”
Positive Highlights from Northamptonshire’s Annual Report
Hosted T20I vs India (Sold Out)
Financial Concerns for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Increasing energy costs (now investing in solar panels to counter costs)
Assessment: An excellent two years means Derbyshire has accumulated a bit of surplus for themselves.
Derbyshire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Total
2023
2022
Annual Total
+ £ 70,000
+ £ 138,000
Total Reserves
+ £ 3,087,000
+ £ 3,017,000
Finance Director Summary
“From a financial results point of view, it has been another very good year for the Club, showing a strong income and expenditure performance and an improvement in the long-term balance sheet position…Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond there are a number of challenges we face which will inevitably make future years more difficult financially.”
Positive Highlights from Derbyshire’s Annual Report
Sponsorship, Advertising, Hospitality
Conference and Events
Financial Concerns for Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Inflation
“Commercial sponsorship is proving difficult across England….we will have to work hard to ensure we don’t see a drop in this income.”
Assessment: Although Worcestershire have a decent surplus for five years running, the losses in 2019 and 2022 were far greater than the minimal profits made in 2020, 2021, and 2023 respectively.
Worcestershire’s 5-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Annual Total
+ £ 13,340
– £ 203,287
+ £ 8,477
+ £ 21,635
– £ 81,810
Total Reserves
+ £ 2,184,117
+ £ 2,170,801
+ £ 2,374,044
+ £ 2,365,567
+ £ 2,343,977
*Note: Worcestershire documents 5-year profit/loss on their annual reports rather than 2-year profit/loss as other clubs.
Accounts Commentary Summary
“There has been an uplift in revenue across nearly all sectors of our operations…Financial sustainability remains a paramount concern for the Club, as well as for other venues not hosting Test matches or The Hundred. It is imperative that we generate sufficient profits to ensure debt repayment. A strategic focus for 2024 will be the development of new revenue streams beyond cricket and the expansion of existing operations.”
Positive Highlights from Worcestershire’s Annual Report
15% increase in match ticket sales (both red & white ball games)
Catering Department delivers profit of £282,000
2 Music concerts
Financial Concerns for Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Assessment: Although Kent is in the profits over the last couple of years and have ample reserves, the chair of the board voiced his concern in the seismic shift that County Cricket is facing and what this uncertainty implies for the club.
Kent’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
2021
Annual Total
– £ 469,448
+ £ 6,488
+ £ 282,235
Total Reserves
+ £ 6,986,301
+ £ 7,455,751
+ £ 7,449,232
Chair’s Report Summary
“Two of the High Performance Review’s conclusions – structure and schedule – presented an existential threat to both our Club and the essential fabric of the county game…There is no question that Sir Andrew did a high quality piece of of work in the context of his brief. He has come up with many good ideas and the game has gained useful insights from subject experts across sport. However, it was when suggesting a County game structure and schedule that had the sole purpose of improving the England teams, the matters became more vexed…Reducing County Cricket in Kent to five home Championship games, five T20s and potentially one or two 50 over games would have rendered the Club completely irrelevant. Four days of cricket a month throughout the season would have meant that we became invisible.“
Positive Highlights from Kent’s Annual Report
Development of media and marketing
New ‘state-of-the-art ticketing system’
Digital match day streaming service grew
Stable ticket sales
Financial Concerns for Kent County Cricket Club
“Inflation, labour shortages, rising interest rates, and higher energy prices”
The Hundred’s negative impact on T20 Vitality Blast crowds (due to change of schedule)
Assessment: From a five year outlook, we can see that Leicestershire has had 4 years of losses. Since surplus are still in a relatively healthy condition, I went with a ‘Yellow’ financial rating for them.
Leicestershire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
2021
Annual Total
– £ 440,112
– £ 320,341
+ £ 482,892
Total Reserves
+ £ 2,109,609
+ £ 2,549,723
+ £ 2,870,064
The past 5-year annual total summary for Leicestershire are as follows:
“Encouragingly the reliance on the central funding dropped from 78% to 65% during the year. However we must continue to reduce this number and become more self-sufficient. This will remain one of our key targets during during the short and medium terms.”
Positive Highlights from Leicestershire Annual Report
Facilities and commercial revenue grew
Increased hospitality
Record numbers for T20 attendance
Financial Concerns for Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Assessment: Losses for consecutive years, but still holding onto decent reserves.
Essex’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2022
2021
Annual Total
– £ 378,983
– £ 508,226
Total Reserves
+ £ 2,336,488
+ £ 2,715,471
Essex’s Notes to the Accounts Summary
“Based on current forecasts, total cash outflows exceed total cash inflows in the forecasted period to December 2024. The Club is actively looking to address this loss and cashflow situation to avoid having to sell part of its investment portfolio to cover this shortfall. These matters indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt over the ability of the Club to continue as a going concern.”
Positive Highlights from Essex’s Annual Report
Matches, commercial activity, and membership resulted in the most profit for Essex
Financial Concerns for Essex County Cricket Club
Buildings (net – £ 690,254) and cricket operations (net – £ 435,987) resulted in the most net loss in 2022
Assessment: Massive positive reserves but the direction of annual losses are not going in the right direction.
Glamorgan’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total
– £ 528,294
– £ 39,248
Total Reserves
+ £ 9,767,471
+ £ 10,295,765
Chair’s Report Summary
“The club is reporting a reasonable financial outcome for the year…2024 will be a challenging year financially and the club has had to reduce its cost base in order to produce a budget with a similar EBITDA to 2023.”
“…It is worth remembering that the game of cricket is undergoing generational change as the rise of Indian cricket and the Indian Premier League has the potential to shift the old order and orthodoxies. While this process will undoubtedly be disruptive and challenging, it will also potentially provide opportunities for individual clubs to reset their financial, strategic, and operational activities onto a more positive and sustainable basis. Rest assured that the Board will work to ensure that Glamorgan is positioned to take advantage of these trends as they develop.”
Positive Highlights from Glamorgan’s Annual Report
International stadium
International match staging agreement with the ECB till 2031
“Stable financial position with minimal debt”
Hundred team/host based in Wales
Financial Concerns for Glamorgan County Cricket Club
“Adverse macro-economic environment in which we currently operate” (ex: higher interest rates)
Assessment: Similar to Glamorgan, two consecutive years of losses (and 2023 was way worse than 2022) is a bit of concern, but overall, they are still holding up well.
Sussex’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total*
– £ 735,616
– £ 39,418
Total Reserves
+ £ 8,461,170
+ £ 9,196,873
Note: In the annual report, both Sussex Cricket Limited and Sussex Cricket Foundation’s earnings have been reported. We only state SCL’s profit/loss (since it is based on membership, matches, etc.)
*Even though Sussex had + £443,929 operating profit in 2022, the total comprehensive income was – £ 39,418. Similarly in 2023, they had an operating loss (- £ 121,918) but an even larger total comprehensive loss (-£ 735,616)
Treasurer’s Report Summary
“Income decreased 5.6% in FYE 2023 while expenditure increased 2.8%.”
Assessment: Two consecutive years of losses (Losses for 2023/2024 almost doubled), but they do not have the luxury of reserves like Sussex & Glamorgan.
Gloucestershire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Total
2024
2023
Annual Total
– £ 1,190,000
– £ 570,000
Total Reserves
+ £ 1,790,000
+ £ 2,980,000
*Year ending on 31st January, 2024
Treasurer’s Report Summary
“This year has been a challenging year financially for a number of reasons and there is no doubt it is disappointing to be reporting a second consecutive financial deficit…Fundamentally, our finances have been impacted by the fixed nature of the majority of our central funding and the fact the growth of the business has not kept up with the rate of inflation…”
Positive Highlights from Gloucestershire Annual Report
Hosting England v Ireland (Men), Hosting Women’s Ashes ODI
Second fastest growth of any county in terms of ticket sales (although it still fell short of expectations)
Cheltenham Cricket Festival
Sponsorship and BS7 Gym
Financial Concerns for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Assessment: Things are not looking that great for Hampshire, who are on the verge of becoming one of the first County teams to sell shares to IPL team owners.
Year
2022
2021
Annual Total
– £ 1,346,883
– £ 1,535,292
Total Reserves
+ £ 2,440,783
+ £ 3,787,666
Group Strategic Report Summary
“The Group will look to consolidate its position as a leading leisure destination and international cricket stadium, although the Directors anticipate that a return to significant levels of profitability is unlikely in 2023 and 2024 given the poor allocation of international cricket in this period.”
Positive Highlights from Hampshire’s Annual Report
Hotel and events saw a rise in operating profit
Men’s Ashes in 2027, Women’s Ashes in 2031
Financial Concerns for Hampshire County Cricket Club
Net debt at 31st December, 2022 is approximately £ 61,423,363.
Assessment: Despite an Ashes season, Yorkshire reported devastating losses in 2023. Financial (and social) overhaul is required at Yorkshire.
Yorkshire’s 2-Year Profit/Loss
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total
– £ 7,050,776
– £ 2,169,332
Total Reserves
– £ 9,106,154
– £ 2,054,488
Chair’s Statement Summary
“The 2023 financial statements presented to you are very clear—it was an Ashes year for us, which should have been productive and profitable, but in the event there was a huge trading loss for the Club. The reasons behind this are explained throughout the financial statements but 2023 was definitely Yorkshire’s ANNUS HORRIBILIS!“
“The Hundred continues to generate significant income for the Club.”
Positive Highlights from Yorkshire’s Annual Report
Hosted Ashes at Headingley (provided £ 18.2 million revenue)
Membership numbers increased
New investment to come in
To host Men’s Test again India in 2025 along with some other T20Is
“The conversations around the Hundred are potentially extremely beneficial for us”
Vitality Blast sales increased 14%
Financial Concerns for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
More staffing in the executive team
Cost of running a stadium
Rising Interest rates
Cricket Disciplinary Committee investigation, legal and professional fees, settlement of employment claims, governance, EDI plans, etc.
No major capital investment
Restructuring of County Age Group pathway
Hosting and Administrative costs for Ashes
“It should be noted, however, that the costs of hosting the match, which include a staging fee payable to the ECB, stewarding and security, and the cost of delivering hospitality packages, were proportionally higher too, totalling £ 3.3 m.”
19. Bonus: Marylebone Cricket Club, The MCC (£ 7.7 Million Profit)
Financial Health Status:Green
Assessment: The MCC are doing really great at the moment on all accounts.
Year
2023
2022
Annual Total
+ £ 7,735,000
+ £ 2,849,000
Total Reserves
+ £ 82,916,000
+ £ 75,181,000
MCC Committee Report Summary
“We continue to evaluate the potential to own and manage a Hundred franchise based at Lord’s. It is anticipated that the ECB will put in place a new financial model from the start of the 2025 season and subject to more detail on the structure and economics of the tournament, we believe that owning a Hundred franchise could have a positive impact on all four of the Club’s objectives
“On the commercial side, income surpassed previous records across Retails, Tours of Lord’s, the Indoor Cricket Centre, Marketing and Advertising, Events and Experiences, shown within Catering and Hospitality, whilst performing strongly, was around 10% lower than the record World Cup year of 2019.”
Other Positive Highlights from MCC’s Annual Report
Lord’s Test, Women’s T20I, and the Hundred saw 500,000 spectators at Lord’s
Financial Concerns for the MCC
High Inflation, rising Employment Costs, rising energy costs
In the past five years, the ECB have made strides to bring financial stability and increase their standards in Test cricket (after success in the white ball game).
It is evident with Yorkshire and Hampshire, for example, that things need to change. However, we also found that not all County teams are struggling. In fact, a majority are doing just fine and many of them have bounced back from the days of the pandemic.
With the IPL increasing its influence around the world, international schedule tightening, number of freelance players increasing towards the growing franchise leagues, County cricket and ‘traditional’ old school cricket is definitely under threat.
Will ECB’s new financial model change things up for the better or the worse? Will it help all the Counties or only some?
Only time will tell.
What do you think? Let me know below!
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed reading this and learned something new. Cheers!
****
Financial Glossary
Here are some of the definitions of terms we have used in the analysis above. The definitions are derived from various sources like Investopedia.
EBIDTA: Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization
Fair Value Reserve: Represents cumulative revalution gains and losses in respect of historic investment properties.
Operating Profit: Total earning from its core business functions for a given period. An operating loss occurs when core business income ends up being lower than expenses.
Total Comprehensive Income: Includes net income and unrealized income (ex: hedge/derivative financial instruments, transaction gains, etc.)
Also Read
If you liked this in-depth research article, you may also like the following articles:
The women’s victory fueled social media with calls for Full Membership to Scotland. That made me wonder—What exactly are all the criteria to become a full member?
Full Member Criteria: What Do The Official ICC Documents Say?
According to ICC’s website, Clause 2.1 outlines 22 conditions that need to be satisfied to even apply for full membership.
You read that correctly, twenty-two. Here are some of the major highlights.
Have appropriate structure for both men’s and women’s cricket
Generate a minimum of 10% of their own total revenues for four years prior to applying
A debt to equity ratio of not more than 2:1 in the past four years
Features on the Men’s ODI Ranking table
Should have qualified for 3 Men’s ODI & T20 WC in past eight years
Have defeated at least one Full Member in the Top 10 in a Men’s Cricket World Cup, World Cup Qualifier, or the T20 World Cup
Have won at least four times against two or more Full Members in bilaterals in the past 8 years
Have participated in at least one Women’s WC (ODI or T20) in the past 4 years or feature in the women’s ODI ranking table
Have participated in two editions of the U-19 WC in the past 8 years
Have domestic structure (Men’s 50-over and 20-over competitions with List A status and at least 3 teams)
Have ‘satisfactory’ women’s pathway structures and junior men’s pathway structures in place
Have ‘sustained and sufficient pool of players’ in senior men’s, women’s, and U-19 men’s teams
Have ‘strong domestic participation levels’ and ‘evidence of significant growth’ in the past 8 years
Have 2 ICC accredited venues
Has talent/coaching/umpire/curator development programs over the past 4 years
Once they fulfill all the conditions, boards can write to the ICC with an ‘intent to apply’ and complete the written application after which there will be a preliminary assessment, reviews, and even a possible inspection.
How Did Afghanistan Qualify?
I know what you must be wondering. How in the world did Afghanistan qualify (and not lose their status) after the Taliban takeover, where higher education was banned for girls?
At the very end of the document, the ICC conveniently slips in Clause 3.5, which states
“In its sole discretion, and where the Applicant is able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances justifying its inability to satisfy one or more of the applicable Membership criteria, the Membership Committee may recommend the acceptance of the application notwithstanding the fact that the Applicant does not satisfy all of the relevant Membership criteria.”
Scotland now meet more of the ICC full member performance criteria than two current ICC full members.
— Andrew Nixon (@andrewnixon79@mastodon.world) (@andrewnixon79) May 5, 2024
Full Membership No Longer Equals Test Status
Growing up, I always had the impression that Full Membership = Test Status, but the word ‘Test’ does not even appear once on the ICC Membership Criteria document.
“Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket of a country recognised by the ICC, or nations associated for cricket purposes, or a geographical area, from which representative teams are qualified to play official Test matches (12 Members).”
“Associate Members are the governing bodies for cricket of a country recognised by the ICC, or countries associated for cricket purposes, or a geographical area, which does not qualify as a Full Member, but where cricket is firmly established and organised (94 Members).”
Hence, Full Membershipmeans there is a pathway to Test status, but nowhere does it claim that playing Test cricket is a necessity for Full Members.
Should Newer Full Members Even Play Test Cricket?
Okay, a slight digression. Should newer full members even play Test cricket?
As Ireland have found out, it is not cheap to host Test cricket. In fact, it causes more financial strain to the national boards. Ireland won their first Test seven years after their Test status, but scheduling Test matches? Well, that’s a whole another matter.
Cricket Ireland famously cancelled a Test against Bangladesh and replaced it with a T20 series because they would lose a million pounds for that one Test.
I am all for a ‘Test fund’ that was proposed a decade ago, innovations in Test cricket, or a two-tiered World Test Championship with relegation & promotion, but forcing a cricket board to play Test cricket can bring down the financial situation of the entire sport in the country.
"We should give the Scotland men's team Test Status" is a pretty weird reaction to the Scotland women's team qualifying for a T20 World Cup to be honest. https://t.co/ve8eb7dQZt
Apart from finances, Ireland’s elevation to Test status did more harm than good.
Irish cricketers used to be considered domestic players and therefore, the golden generation – Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Tim Murtagh, etc. played as domestic cricketers in the County circuit. However, post 2017, they have had to sign up as overseas players which County teams may be reluctant to do.
If Scotland does accept to play Test cricket, adjustments would need to be made in County Cricket rules.
Show Me the Money
If not Test cricket, what is Full Membership all about?
*Top 8 Teams (non-India) include England ($41.33 million), Australia ($37.53 million), Pakistan ($34.51 million), New Zealand ($28.38 million), West Indies ($27.50 million), Sri Lanka ($27.12 million), South Africa ($26.24 million), and Bangladesh ($26.74 million).
Ireland ($17.64 million), Zimbabwe ($17.64 million), and Afghanistan ($16.82 million) relatively earn less but a larger chunk than the Associate nations.
Currently $67.16 million is divided among 94 Associate Members. On average, each Associate member gets about $714,468, which is substantially less than what Ireland and Afghanistan now receive.
If a cricket board receives Full Membership, then they are ensured a small piece of the annual funding pie. What’s more? They will get regular FTP matches against the top teams helping them improve further. ICC already earns enough money from World Cups that they have surplus to distribute to their members. Adding two more members and changing the redistribution of wealth will not change much.
Should Scotland and Netherlands Receive Full Member Status?
Let’s get back to the heart of the topic, should countries like Scotland and Netherlands receive Full Member Status?
In 2000, Bangladesh were gifted Full Membership and Test status after winning the 1997 ICC Trophy, defeated Kenya in 1998, and defeating Scotland & Pakistan in the 1999 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Women’s Team only made their international debut in 2007 and gained ODI status in 2011 (qualified for the 2014 T20 WC as hosts, qualified for the 2022 ODI WC), much after they were elevated to Full Status.
I argue that Scotland and Netherlands have already done much more than Bangladesh ever did prior being elevated to Full Member Status.
Scotland in ICC Tournaments
Let’s look at Scotland. The men’s team has already defeated the likes of England & West Indies, featured in multiple World Cups, have a growing women’s team, and have a couple of solid venues.
Timeline
Here is a quick timeline of their recent past. Scotland have perhaps suffered more than any other team with the curtailed 10-team World Cup format, narrowly losing out on two consecutive ODI World Cups despite playing extremely good cricket.
1992: Becomes an independent cricket Associate Member
1997: Ends 3rd in the ICC Trophy and qualifies for the 1999 ODI World Cup
2004: Wins the ICC Intercontinental Cup
2012: Defeats Bangladesh in a T20 match
2017: Defeats Zimbabwe in an ODI match
2018: Defeat Afghanistan, UAE, Nepal, Hong Kong, (and tied against Zimbabwe), *lost against West Indies due to DLS/rain
2018: Defeats England by 6 runs after scoring 371
2022: Defeats West Indies in the T20 World Cup
2022: Scotland women team get ODI status
2023: Defeat West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE, Oman but fall one spot short of the 10-team ODI World Cup
2024: Scotland women qualify for the T20 World Cup
World Cup Records
ODI WC: Qualified for the 1999 (0/5), 2007 (0/3), 2015 (0/6)
*Note: Scotland have featured in 4/5 U-19 World Cups in the last 8 years.
*NR – No Result
Netherlands in ICC Tournaments
Timeline
Netherlands have had a dream couple of years and even qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup. They have defeated South Africa, England, and West Indies, and their women’s team even reached the quarterfinals in 1997.
1988: Women’s team qualify for the 1988 ODI World Cup
1994: Men’s team ends 3rd in the ICC Trophy and qualifies for the 1996 ODI World Cup
1997: Women’s team qualify for the quarterfinal
2001: Wins the ICC Trophy
2003: Defeats Namibia in the 2003 ODI World Cup
2006: Get ODI status
2007: Women play a Test match against South Africa
2009: Defeats England in the T20 World Cup
2010: Defeats Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup
2014: Chased 193 in 13.5 overs against Ireland to qualify for the Super 10s
It’s clear that these two countries have done more than Bangladesh and Afghanistan for over three decades now (and are doing better than Zimbabwe has been in recent years).
Sure, there may be a checkbox here or there that these two cricket boards may not have hit, but they have done almost everything right.
Dear ICC, it is my honest request. I plead with you to give Scotland and Netherlands Full Membership.
If that means, use Clause 3.5, wave some hands, and give out some funds, then why not?
If not now, when? Take the chance.
It’s time for the European Cricket Dream. Let’s make it happen.
If you like these kinds of in-depth deep dives on finances and administration of cricket, check out the following:
This will help us provide an insight into the workings of the ICC and help us answer questions like:
How much does it cost the ICC to host a World Cup?
How much revenue does the ICC make from global tournaments?
Why has there been a recent influx in World Cups?
I read this 39 page document so you don’t have to.
Let me break it down for you.
Key Takeaways
The ICC earned about 95.59% of their annual revenue from ICC events in 2022 ($412,862,000 out of $431,929,000). In 2021, ICC events contributed to 93.38% of their annual income ($432,146,000 out of 462,767,000).
On the flip side, ICC events contributed the organization 75.27% of their expenditures in 2022 ($168,262,000 out of $223,554,000) and only 70.37% in 2021 ($96,510,000 out of $137,160,000).
The ICC has been profitable with total comprehensive income of $208,375,000 in 2022 and $325,607,000 in 2021 respectively. Adding prior years surplus and general reserves, ICC had a total surplus of $912,999,000 as of 31st December, 2022.
In 2021-2022, senior Men’s ICC tournaments added a profit (+ $602,968,000) to the ICC, while senior Women’s ICC tournaments (– $15,160,000) and U-19 ICC tournaments for both men & women combined (– $7,011,011) led to losses.
The ‘Advance to Full Members’ was $693,331,000 in 2022 and $513,331,000 in 2022 & 2021 respectively, while ‘Advance Allocated to Associate Member’s was $89,716,000 and $66,275,000 in the same period.
Total Revenue Generated from ‘Commercial’ ICC Events (2021-2022)
Now we look at the 2021-2022 tournament breakdown.
ICC Event
Revenue
Expenses
Total Income
2021 World Test Championship (WTC) Final
$36,318,000
$12,469,000
+ $23,849,000
2021 T20 World Cup (Men’s)
$383,624,000
$65,699,000
+ $317,925,000
2022 U19 World Cup (Men’s)
$13,822,000
$19,028,000
– $5,206,000
2022 ODI World Cup (Women’s)
$24,316,000
$35,025,000
– $10,709,000
2022 T20 World Cup (Men’s)
$354,795,000
$84,589,000
+ $270,206,000
Value in Kind* (2021)
$12,204,000
$12,204,000
$0
Value in Kind (2022)
$19,929,000
$19,929,000
$0
Total
+ $845,008,000
– $248,943,000
+ 596,065,000
*Definition in the glossary at the bottom of the article
This table reveals quite a bit of information. What have we learned here?
The ICC takes a hit financially while hosting the Women’s World Cup and U-19 World Cups.
The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was the most profitable tournament for the ICC in the last couple of years.
It would be interesting to see how much the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup earned when the next round of financials come out.
Total Revenue Generated from ‘Pathway’ ICC Events (2021-2022)
But wait, there is more.
ICC also helps fund the global and regional tournaments. They are not considered ‘commercial’ events.
ICC Event
Expenses
2021 ODI World Cup Qualifier (Women’s)
$2,208,000
2021 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Women’s)
$1,518,000
2021 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Men’s)
$1,794,000
2021 CWC League 2 (Men’s)
$314,000
2022 Women’s Championship
$30,000
2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifier (Women’s)
$257,000
2022 T20 World Cup Regional Qualifiers (Women’s)
$695,000
2022 U19 T20 World Cup Qualifier (Women’s)
$828,000
2022 U19 World Cup Qualifier (Men’s)
$977,000
2022 T20 World Cup Qualifier (Men’s)
$1,138,000
2022 CWC Challenge League (Men’s)
$1,549,000
2022 T20 Regional’s Qualifier’s (Men’s)
$1,902,000
2022 CWC League 2 (Men’s)
$2,315,000
Total
– $15,525,000
We can clearly see that these pathway tournaments do not earn ICC big profits.
In essence, they virtually treat these global and regional qualifiers as investments for the growth of the game.
Long Term View: How Has Net Income from ICC Tournament’s Changed Over the Years?
Have you wondered why we have had an influx of ICC tournaments in recent times?
Let’s jog back our memories. In men’s senior tournaments alone, we have had:
2024 T20 World Cup
2023 ODI World Cup
2023 World Test Championship Final
2022 T20 World Cup
2021 T20 World Cup
2021 World Test Championship Final
2019 ODI World Cup
The clear and simple answer is: ICC tournaments (especially senior men’s tournaments) contribute majority of the earnings to the ICC.
We can see from this chart, that there were peaks during 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019, when the Men’s ODI World Cup took place (2007 had both the ODI and the T20 World Cup in the same year).
Even though the ODI format has received criticism in recent times, it is here to stay as the ODI World Cup generates a lot of wealth for the ICC (both the 2017 ODI Women’s World Cup and the Champions Trophy did very well financially).
On the other hand, we can see that the ICC took a hit in 2008 & 2018, two years when no major men’s ICC tournament took place. 2020 was an aberration due to the COVID, but the +$384,000 they did earn was due to the profitability of the Women’s T20 World Cup that broke barriers.
Why Did the ODI World Cup Shrink to 10 Teams?
According to this chart from ICC’s 2007/08 Annual Report, we can see that most of ICC’s money comes from these events. Even in 2007, ICC earned 93.66% of their revenue through events. Most of their costs are distribution of funds to the Members.
If cricket is to grow around the world, the ICC needs to be profitable year after year.
And here lies the double-edged sword of running an international sporting organization. We have often criticized the ICC for shrinking the participation in ODI World Cups, skewed formatting, and India-Pakistan games scheduled for the sole reason of financial gain.
But that profit is necessary for them to invest in the women’s game, U-19 cricket, and regional tournaments around the world because these tournaments provide no financial incentives.
In simple terms—the more money ICC earns from men’s tournaments, the more they can distribute to their members (How that distribution occurs is a deep dive for another day).
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What do you all think? Is there a better solution for ICC to increase their profits than shoving multiple ICC tournaments in a short period of time?
Thanks for reading! Here is some bonus content for you cause I felt like it today.
Other Observations: ICC World Cup Costs in the Earlier Days
Cricket tournaments have become more professional over the years.
Now it takes multi-million dollars to host an ICC event which includes breakthrough commercial deals. Only a couple of decades ago, it did not take as much money to host a world tournament (and the inflation was lower).
Total Comprehensive Income: “Comprehensive income is the sum of a company’s net income, as recorded on their income statement, and unrealized income (or ‘other comprehensive income’).”
Value in Kind: “Sponsorship received in forms of goods and/or services rather than money.”
In 1918, US President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech in the US Congress that would be regarded as the “Fourteen Points.” It proposed potential resolutions to end the ‘Great War’ (World War I), outlined how the world could move towards peace and prevent future wars, and was a key factor during the Treaty of Versailles.
Now I know what you may be thinking. What kind of comparison is this? Cricket is not war!
It definitely isn’t, but we can all agree that cricket has its share of problems.
Yesterday, the West Indies and England reminded us how special Test cricket truly is. The ebbs and flows, last day drama, the inspiration of an injured Shamar Joseph and Jack Leach fighting for their countries, the comeback of Tom Hartley, the camaraderie between the teams, and much, much more.
It reminded me why I started watching cricket in the first place, and I would love more of days like yesterday.
Hence, without further ado, here are my Fourteen Points to help preserve Test cricket, reduce the conflicts in the current cricketing calendar, and help fuel the growth of cricket in smaller nations.
A Test match fund shall be formed from ICC’s annual budget to support the endeavors of Test cricket around the world. This budget shall, at a minimum, include match fees (players, support staff, ground staff, umpires, administrators), minimum set of cameras to support the DRS (decision review system), miscellaneous finances (hotel, food, and travel), advertising & marketing costs, and all such costs which shall be deemed necessary and proper for carrying into execution a proper Test match. The distribution of the budget shall be approximately proportional to the number of Tests a cricketing nation hosts per year.
How will it work?
In 2015, the Test Match fund was pondered, where the ICC would offer $12.5 million to the non-Big 3 Test playing countries to support Test matches over a few years.
This idea, however, never materialized. In our research, we found that it takes anywhere from $350,000-$1.4 million to host just a single one Test match, which is often a burden on the smaller nations. If a team hosts 2 three-match Test series in a year, that could incur a cost ranging from $2 million-$8.5 million per year.
Potential Problems
Even at the lower estimates, $2 million for 12 Test playing nations would cost the ICC about $24 million per year. That is a lot of money.
This will be a huge effort on the part of the ICC, which may require additional sponsorships, broadcast rights expansions, etc.
To start off this process, the ICC Test match fund could be piloted among the cricketing nations who are losing money to host a Test(ex: New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Pakistan, etc.).
Who Said What?
“Unless the boards change the economic model, I don’t think Test cricket will thrive outside of the Big 3.”
An adequate minimum Test match fees shall be established to players across all nations for both women’s & men’s Test cricket, the monetary value of which should be updated every two years based on inflation and market economics. Boards are free to provide additional bonuses to their players.
How Will it Work?
Currently, India pays its men’s Test players $18,800 per Test, Australia pays about $12,500-$17,725 USD per Test, and England pays its players around $17,600. On the other hand, a New Zealand men’s Test match fee is about $6,600 USD.
The ICC will need to setup a committee and decide what a decent minimum Test match fee is and then work with each of the cricket boards to split duties on minimum fees.
For example, if we decide that $ 17,600 (like England) is a good enough Test match fee and NZ cricket board are already paying their players $6,600, then the ICC would jump in and make up the deficit of $11,000 per Test per player. Hence, the Big 3 may not need support from the ICC (and will be allowed to pay their players bonuses on top of the minimum fee), but the ICC would need to help the other countries out.
Potential Problems
Once again, we are asking ICC to bear a potentially high cost, but does the ICC even have this much money?
If not, how can they bring in more money? If this causes the ICC to host more World Cups and tournaments, then this will crowd the already crowded cricket calendar. We do not want to create more issues to solve one problem.
“We’ve got to figure out a way for them [other countries] to be incentivized to play international and particularly Test cricket. That requires transparency from all cricket boards around the world to try to figure out how to pay the players the best way they can.”
– Usman Khawaja
“…Similarly to save Test wicket they should introduce standard match fee for all the boards, so that all players of Test cricket nations can have the same match fee.”
Mohammad Hafeez
III. Introduction of Test Match Windows
Two Test match windows, one each for the Northern & Southern hemispheres respectively, shall be implemented for three months of the year.
How Will it Work?
A few people have suggested having 3-month window where only Test cricket is played. However, I think this is an incomplete solution since the Northern and Southern hemispheres have different seasons for cricket.
What could happen is from May-July, there should be a window to play Tests in England, West Indies, and the subcontinent nations while December-February should have a window for Test cricket in New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. In these windows, we may simultaneously see the Ashes, Ind-SA Tests, and NZ-Pak Tests for example. So the focus of the fan base is solely on Test cricket.
Now we cannot stop franchise cricket for six months, so what can be done?
We can customize the window per nation. For example, when a country is hosting or touring for Test cricket within those two larger windows, they are not allowed to host a franchise league. This will help avoid clashes that we are seeing with South Africa and the SA20. On the flip side, leagues like the BBL can benefit because the BBL will have all their international players to choose from.
Potential Problems
This will definitely cause backlash by the franchises because prime time will be taken away from them.
For example, this rule would mean The Hundred cannot be scheduled in the summer months when Test cricket takes priority. This is the time that students have vacations, the weather is decent, and there is time to spend with family. The broadcasters may also suffer due to lower television ratings.
Who Said What
A 3 month dedicated window for Test cricket every year for both the men & women’s teams is the only way to protect the greatest format .. no other cricket but Test around those 3 months .. the other 9 months for all the leagues ICC events .. 👍👍
The bilateral ODI series shall be abolished from the cricket calendar.
How Will it Work?
As simple as, no more bilateral ODI series.
Don’t worry, I am not advocating the ‘Death of ODI cricket’ or anything like that. We saw in the 2023 ODI World Cup that fans still enjoy ODI cricket albeit in a smaller dose. Removing ODI bilaterals will provide space in the calendar to accommodate Test cricket, franchise leagues, and qualification matches (more on this, a few sections later).
Potential Problems
Loss of sponsorships and advertising revenues for host countries.
V. Abolishment of the Bilateral T20I Series
The bilateral T20I series shall be abolished from the cricket calendar.
How Will it Work?
Read point IV. Same as above.
This year, India will only have the 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the IPL to choose its players for the World Cup. The franchise tournaments will be enough to assess the player pool for T20 World Cups.
VI. Transformation of the two-year World Test Championship cycle into a Concentrated Test World Cup
Every four years, the league of Test nations shall assemble to play in a Test World Cup during the two 3-month Test windows. The top eight ranked teams shall compete, four winners proceed to a round-robin semi-final, and the Top 2 compete in the Best of 3 final series at a pre-determined venue.
How Will it Work?
Four 3-match series will occur for the Top 8 ranked teams during the first six months of the year in two different neutral countries (ex: Aus v WI (#1 v#8), Ind v SL (#2 v #7), Eng v Pak (#3 v #6), SA v NZ (#4 v #5)).
The four winners will then play 6 Tests in a round-robin format in the ‘Final Stage’ of this Test World Cup. The Top 2 teams will then play a 3-match series for the World Cup Final.
Note: During this Test World Cup year, regular bilateral Test series will not take place since this will take place during the Test windows.
Potential Problems
The teams that did not qualify in the Top 8 or lost in the first stage may not play much Test cricket that year.
Who Said What
"The only effort that's been made to try to keep it relevant, I think has made it worse!" 📉@markbutcher72 believes the introduction of the World Test Championship has contributed to the decline of Test cricket.
VII: Two-Tiered Test League with Relegation & Promotion
Relegation and Promotion shall be established in Test cricket that will feed into the Test Match World Cup. Teams will be promoted and relegated at the end of every two-year cycle.
How Will it Work?
The 12-Test playing nations will be divided into two brackets (#1-6 in Bracket A and #7-12 in Bracket B). At the end of each two-year league, the bottom two of Bracket A will be demoted to Bracket B and vice-versa.
The top eight-teams (all 6 teams in Bracket A and top 2 of Bracket B) will compete in the Test World Cup.
Potential Problems
Since we are proposing Test match windows, some windows may have too much Test cricket if that’s even possible.
VIII: 4-Day 3 Match Series instead of 2 Tests
The two-match Test series shall no longer be in existence. If for some reason, due to calendar conflicts, financial reasons, or unforeseen circumstances, there is only space for 15-20 days, then a three-match four-day Test series shall take place with the approval of the cricket boards of the interested parties.
How Will it Work?
If the Test match fund and calendar problems are solved with the above solutions, then there will not be a need for a 2-Test series (since teams will have enough money to host Tests).
However, if the situation arises that only 2-Tests are possible, then instead a 3-match 4-day Test series should take place. This will only add two days to the overall match time and maybe an additional week for the overall tour.
Potential Problems
This could result in too many draws if multiple teams agree on this approach.
Who Said What
“I’m not sure whether it’s changing it to four-day Test matches, so you can have an extra day to make sure that you play that third Test match.”
IX. Advertising Revenue and ICC Funding for County Cricket, Sheffield Shield, Ranji, and other domestic four-day tournaments.
The cricket boards will have to allocate their respective annual budgets to the betterment of domestic cricket. This includes, but is not limited to, advertising, recruiting, providing better facilities, etc. The ICC shall subsidize cricketing boards with a poor financial situation.
How Will it Work?
Franchise cricket is popular because the best players play in these leagues and sponsorship/TV revenue is high. On the other hand, County Cricket is shown on some YouTube channels, if at all.
The ICC should have a mandate to oversee that cricket boards are actively publicizing domestic cricket. This could be done by providing boards additional capital for domestic tournaments, having free to air channels, or by marketing domestic tournaments on social media channels.
Potential Problems
This could take additional manpower and resource, which will increase the costs of all parties involved.
X: Mandatory Practice Games with Similar Pitches
Each visiting team will be provided at least one practice match (for a 3-Test series) and two practice matches (for a series with 4 or more Tests). An impartial inspector from the ICC shall monitor practice pitches to ensure they are closely aligned with the pitches that the series will offer.
How Will it Work?
I have no problems with India coming up with rank turners or South Africa’s bounce troubling batters. I do, however, have a problem with multiple Tests finishing within two to three days and the lack of practice matches.
England have gone to India for a 5-match Test series without a practice match!
What should happen are at least 2 mandatory practice 4-day matches on pitches with similar conditions. If India plan on putting up rank turners, they need to make rank turners for these practice matches. If the series will have a variety of surfaces (for example, Dharamsala and Chennai), then the two practice matches need to have different surfaces. The ICC need to get involved as the impartial spectator to ensure consistency in pitches.
Potential Problems
This could mean longer tours for visiting teams and time away from home.
XI. Revival of the ODI Super League, Revamping of Qualification Systems & ICC Rankings
The ODI & T20 World Cup qualification systems shall be revamped and the ODI Super League shall be revived. No country, with the exception of the host nation, will be guaranteed a place in an ICC tournament. The space provided by the abolishment of bilateral series will be replaced by qualifying rounds that feed into the ODI Super League and World Cup qualifications.
How Will it Work?
The ODI Super League shall be revived for the benefit of ‘Associate’ nations like the Netherlands and Scotland.
Unlike the first edition of the ODI Super League, the Super League will be divided into a few groups (for example, 18-team Super League with 3 groups of 6). Every few months, a country will hold a Qualification round to play some of the matches. After a couple of rotations, each team in the group have played against each other twice (at least 10 matches per team before the World Cup).
These matches will be all be a part of World Cup qualification. No additional friendly bilateral games.
Potential Problems
Scheduling could be a problem with the various franchise leagues going around.
XII. Staggered ODI & T20 World Cups every 2 years, Removal of the ICC Champions Trophy
Each ICC World Cup tournament for both men’s & women’s cricket shall be held every four years, staggered by two years for the format. The Test World Cups will occur in the years there is no bilateral World Cups.
How Will it Work?
There are too many World Cups happening now. T20 World Cups in 2021 & 2022, an ODI World Cup in 2023, and another T20 WC coming up in 2024.
That’s an overkill. Rather, we can have ODI World Cups in 2027, 2031, 2035, etc. while T20 World Cups are hosted in 2029, 2033, 2037, etc. – also every four years. Then there will be space for the Test World Cup in 2028, 2032, 2036, etc.
This should also be implemented in the women’s game (One idea could be to stagger all 4 – 2027 Men’s ODI, 2028 WODI, 2029 – MT20, 2030 – WT20, etc.).
Potential Problems
Players might retire earlier if they know they cannot make it to the next ICC tournament.
XIII. Maximum Leagues Cap for Nationally Contracted Players
If a player is nationally contracted by their national cricket boards, they are limited to a maximum of three leagues (IPL, domestic league, and one other) per year or four leagues per year (if no IPL contract provided) or risk being fined their match fees. If a player does not have a national contract, they are not obligated to follow this limit.
How Will it Work?
We can come up with a compromise so that nationally contracted players can play a maximum of 3 leagues per year (including the IPL), any 4 leagues (if no IPL deals), and no restrictions if without a contract.
If Test windows and minimum Test match fees is implemented, then this should benefit both international cricket and the players themselves.
Potential Problems
Players may not sign the national contract at all and be franchise freelancers if that benefits them in the long run.
XIV: Re-Establish Champions League, Limit Expansion of the IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) shall not expand beyond the three-month window it is currently provided. The franchises are free to invest in other leagues around the world and a one-month window will be allocated for an annual Champions League.
How Will it Work?
It is clear that IPL franchises are starting to own stakes in other leagues. In the past, the Champions League did not provide value because a single player would have conflicts over multiple franchise but end up playing for their IPL teams.
If the IPL team starts doing year long contracts (for example, the same player plays for MI, MI Cape Town, MI NY, etc.), then there shouldn’t be a conflict of interest as before.
Potential Problems
For yet another competition to be in the cricket calendar, the IPL has to stop at the 10 teams, 3-month format. If the IPL is any longer, international cricket may cease to exist.
Final Thoughts
I was trying to write this article for a couple of weeks but for some reason, couldn’t find the words and ideas. But on a day where Shamar Joseph and Tom Hartley created history and Test cricket came to life, the idea just magically flowed through.
Much like Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen points and the League of Nations (precursor to the United Nations), I fully expect the ICC to not pay attention to any of this and lead to major chasms in cricket in the coming years (much like the US themselves did not join the League of Nations, thereby weakened it, and ultimately were not able to prevent World War II).
This article may sound a bit quixotic in nature, but we have to start somewhere, don’t we? The world can only change if conversations begin.
The future of cricket is at stake. Will the ICC do something about it?
What are your thoughts? I want to know, comment below! How would you solve the problems that cricket faces today?
Related Articles
If you like reading about potential solutions to problems in cricket, do read the following:
How much money does it really take to host a Test match?
We have heard the claims that cricketing countries like New Zealand & South Africa ‘lose money’ while hosting a Test match. Well, how much money are they losing? Why are they losing so much money?
Don’t worry, I got you. Here is a research article on how much money it costs to host a Test match.
A 2-Test series can cost about $679,500-$2.3 million, while a 5-Test series Ashes may incur expenses ranging from $ 3.043 million to a whopping $7.3 million.
Hence, on average, it takes around $350,000-$1.4 million to host a Test match. The vast range is due to the choices made by the national board – whether to have 4-cameras or 16, whether to purchase the complete version of the DRS or just the Hawkeye, number of support staff, choices for hotels and flights, etc.
Factors that impact the cost of hosting a Test match include (but are not limited to) technology, the review system, player match fees, umpires’ fees, post-match awards, broadcasting & commentating team, security personnel, support staff, hotels, food, flights, busses, incidentals, and facilities.
*Note: Apart from the host cricket board, some of these expenses may be shared between sponsors, broadcasters, ICC, and state/ national governments.
Other articles in Cricket & Finances: Money, Money, Money!
How Much Money Does it take to Host a Test Match – The Top 9 Factors
It takes a village to host a Test match. This includes the players themselves, the commentators, ground staff, umpires, ball boys & girls, bus drivers, security personnel, administrators, ticket sellers, the media, and most importantly, the fans.
We take all these dimensions and come up with estimates for a 2-Test series and a 5-Test series.
We consider an Australia-England Test series for our 5-match estimates and teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan for our 2-match estimates.
Note: All numbers are in $ USD. Also, some costs might be one-off cost to the host country (for example, ground covers, initial camera equipment, speed gun, stumps, cost of buying land & building the stadium, etc.). Some of these costs may be offset by themaintenance costs of the one-off items, and hence, should not impact the overall estimate range much.
*If you use any of our derivations and data, please link this article to avoid copyright issues.
1. Technology: $120,000-$2.6 Million
What Does it Include?
DRS (Hawkeye, Hotspot, Snicko, etc.), Cameras (4-16, SpiderCam), Stumps (Stump Mic, LED Stumps, Zing Bails), Bushnell Range Finder, and Speed Gun
Note: To cut costs, some boards may choose to only purchase Hawkeye with minimal cameras, while other nations might purchase a full set of DRS/camera setup.
2. Broadcasting & Commentators: $20,000-$1 million
What Does it Include?
This includes the salary of commentators, behind-the-scenes broadcasters.
According to various reports online, commentators can earn $1000-$5000 in match fees and around $50,000 per series. Some commentators even take home paychecks of up to a million dollars per year.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $20,000 ($1,000 match fee per Test for set of 10 commentators)
Maximum Cost: $750,000 ($50,000 series fee for set of 15 commentators)
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $375,000 ($5,000 match fee per Test for set of 15 commentators)
Maximum Cost: $1 million ($50,000 series fee for set of 20 commentators)
Sky Sports signed 19 commentators for the 2023 Ashes season.
Note: The cost for technology, broadcasting, and commentators may be shared between the cricket board and broadcasting companies. This may also be negotiated in the various TV/streaming multi-year broadcasting deals.
3. Player Match Fees & Match Awards: $130,000-1 Million
What Does it Include?
This will only include the match fees for the players in the playing XI. We do not include yearly contracted salary for this calculation since that is a separate transaction between a player & its cricket board.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: 126,500
Maximum Cost: $145,000
Calculation Method: Test Match Fees * 2 (number of Test) * 11 (number of players in the playing XI). With player of the match/series awards (plus many more nowadays), this cost will increase to $130,000-$160,000.
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $687,500
Maximum Cost: $1 million
Calculation Method: Test Match Fees * 5 (number of Test) * 11 (number of players in the playing XI). If we add the award costs, this cost will increase to $700,000-$1,025,000.
Note, each board will pay each of their players separately, so we will not double count this value (i.e. we will only count the expense for the host team).
This includes umpires, video umpire, reserve umpire, and referee. Some online websites estimate umpires may earn around $5,000 match fees for Test cricket.
A team like West Indies may be responsible for arranging flights from island to island or countries like Australia or India, where distances between cities is more convenient by air.
For domestic travel, we assume host boards will pay for players from both teams involved.
This will total to about 45-80 members total (squad: 15 players, 5 net bowlers per team, 3-5 coaches, umpires & referees: 5-8, commentators: 10-20, miscellaneous/administrators: 1-10)
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
The current India-West Indies series takes place in Roseau & Port of Spain. For a 2-Test series, we consider one flight.
Note: These estimates may vary depending if the national boards consider business or economy class and how soon they book their tickets.
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
We will consider the 2021 Ashes for this scenario. We check current one-way prices for Brisbane-Adelaide (around $300), Adelaide-Melbourne ($100), Melbourne-Sydney ($100), and Sydney-Hobart ($125). This totals to about $625 per member of the flight.
Minimum Cost: $28,125: 45*625
Maximum Cost: 50,000: 80*625
Surprised by these numbers? Note, that even though West Indies might not be the richest cricket board, Caribbean is still a pretty exotic place for travel.
6. Buses: $42,000-$105,000
What Does it Include?
Buses includes hiring a couple of drivers, tips for the drivers, and the cost to rent a charter bus. Each team will have a separate bus and there will also be a bus for support staff. According to Gogo Charters, it costs about £ 456-613 ($588-790) per day per charter bus, plus a 10% tip. We will estimate this around $700 per bus for a total of $2100 for three buses.
7. Hotels, Food, & Incidentals: $200,000-$2 million
What Does it Include?
According to the U.S. Department of State Foreign Per Diem Rates, “The maximum lodging amount is intended to substantially cover the cost of lodging at adequate, suitable and moderately-priced facilities. The M&IE portion is intended to “substantially cover the cost of meals and incidental travel expenses such as laundry and dry cleaning.”
Cannot forget the dry cleaning and the laundry. Nobody wants stinky, smelly, and rainy tours.
For a reference, Adelaide’s Maximum Per Diem rate based on (1) Maximum Lodging Rate, (2) Meals & Incidentals is $324. Here is the estimate list for other Australian cities.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
A two-Test series has a maximum of 10 days. However, we can consider one tour match, a couple days between each game, and a couple of days before/after the series for a total of 20 days.
The current Sri Lanka-Pakistan series is an 18-day affair for example. We will consider Galle’s per diem rate of $216 as an average (although it varies from city to city).
Minimum Cost: $194,400 (45 *$216*20)
Maximum Cost: $777,600 (80*216*20)
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
The 2023 Ashes takes place between June 16th and July 13th, totalilng 45 days (without any tour matches). To keep it simple, we will take 50 days and the $598 per diem estimate for London.
This may include security guards, pitch curators, groundsperson, cleaners, stadium food organizers, support staff, pavilion steward’s, etc.
According to Glassdoor, a security guard in London earns annually £ 24,070 ($31,028 USD), a security officer earns about £ 26,383 ($34,000), and an assistant groundsperson earns about £ 22,000 ($ 28,000). The director of security and people in higher positions may earn £ 50,000-100,000 ($65,000-100,000).
We estimate around 50-100 support staff & security personnel are needed to make a Test match happen. We will take £ 20,000 ($26,000) as an average. We will estimate 1-month salary (1/12) for the 2-Test series & 2-month salary (1/6) for 5-Test series.
Case Studies & Quotes: Cost of Hosting a Test Match
Our estimates match with the interviews and situations that we have already seen. Here is the result of rising cost of hosting a Test match and the uneven monopoly of the Big 3 in world cricket today.
Situation 1: The COVID Comeback Season
The pandemic caused England to go to great measures to restart cricket.
For the West Indies and Pakistan series, they paid these countries £ 500,000 ($644,628) for charter flights. In addition, the per day cost was £ 238,000 ($306,842), while the season cost was 10 million pounds. One quote caught my eye.
“The good thing is they are England, and they expected to receive 120 Million pounds in ‘broadcast revenue.'”
Situation 2: Cricket Ireland Cancels Test Series
Ireland cancelled their plan of playing a Test match against Bangladesh and played a T20I instead.
“With the expected cost of hosting a Test estimated at 1 million pounds ($US 1.14 million), Cricket Ireland has chosen to prioritise white ball cricket ahead of the T20 World Cups.”
“The Yorkshire chairman and chief executive, Colin Graves, had said the county would not bid to host an Ashes Test in 2013 or 2015 because, at a cost of £ 1-2 million, ‘it would represent too great a financial risk.’ ‘
– The Guardian
Situation 4: South Africa’s Problems Continue
South Africa will not be playing many Tests in the next FTP. They have, however, hosted a successful SA T20, which gives them hope fo a financial revival.
“CSA earns a tenth of the money on a Test that it will earn for a white ball match.”
– Firdose Moonda
Situation 5: Afghanistan vs West Indies match ends within 3 Days, Costs Money Nevertheless
“Take the Afghanistan v West Indies game in Lucknow. It finished in two and a half days, but all the people working on it have been booked for the five days. The grounds, the staff, the food, everything…it’s probably cost them US $200,000 to $300,000. Perhaps more. And if your yearly grant is to the tune of $ 4 million, that means you have spent close to 10% of your [yearly] budget on playing one Test match.”
According to ESPN Cricinfo, it cost the Zimbabwe cricket board $1 million to host a two-Test series against the West Indies.
“We do lost a lot of money – about $300,000-$400,000, to host a Test series. It’s money we don’t have.”
– Tavenga Mukuhlani, ZC Chairman
Situation 8: Playing Against India & the Big 3 the Only Hope (which is not sustainable)
“Unless it is against the Big 3, Cricket New Zealand loses about $700,000.”
– The Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald
So, why do New Zealand, South Africa, & other countries lose money while hosting a Test series?
Expenses are only one part of the puzzle. Revenue is the other.
While the Big 3 has broadcasting profits on their sides, countries like Zimbabwe get as little as $1 million per season from sponsorship. A 2-Test series wipes out 20% of the annual reserves, and hence, they cannot afford to host Test matches.
The income, ticket sales, & sponsorship are not large income to balance the expenses of hosting a Test match.
Although New Zealand are a joy to watch in Test cricket and were also the winner of the inaugural WTC Final, they suffer from a similar economic fate.
What does the Future of Test Cricket Hold?
Revenue in cricket comes from (1) ticket sales, (2) broadcasting deals, (3) sponsorship deals, (4) ICC money, and (5) federal/state funding (depending on the country). While India is always on the net positive side due to their sheer volume of cricket fans, other countries unfortunately do not have similar infrastructure or fan following. Subsidizing Test cricket a part of a larger ICC Test fund has been suggested in the past, but is it enough?
Can Test cricket survive the rising costs? More importantly, will the ‘Middle 5’ – West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka continue their investment in Test cricket?
Test cricket is actually thriving these days (See, Bazball), but the business model of Test cricket is dying.
Something needs to change quickly.
Otherwise, Test cricket started with the Ashes. It may also end in ashes.
If You Liked this, here are other Articles You Might Be Interested In
This comprehensive guide provides an in-depth look at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), one of the most celebrated Test series in the cricket world today.
We will discuss the history of BGT, and look at some of the prominent players who have played a major role in making this tournament what it is today, including the most runs and wickets. The upcoming BGT 2023 schedule and how they can follow the tournament as it unfolds in India is also displayed.
Key Takeaways
The Border Gavaskar trophy has been held 15 times since 1996, 8 of which were hosted by India and 7 by Australia.
India has won the Border–Gavaskar Trophy 9 times(96-97, 97-98, 2000-01, 04-05, 08-09, 2010-11, 12-13, 16-1)
Australia has won the Border Gavaskar Trophy 5 times (1999-2000, 04-05,07-08,11-12, 14-15).
Sachin Tendulkar (3262), Ricky Ponting (2555), and VVS Laxman (2434) are the highest run scorers in Border Gavaskar Trophy history.
Anil Kumble (111), Harbhajan Singh (95), and Nathan Lyon (94) are the highest wicket-takers in the Border -Gavaskar Trophy.
India has won in Australia twice (2018-19, 2020-21). Australia has won in India 4 times, but only once since 1996 (1947-48, 1956-57, 1959-60, 2004-05).
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a Test series held between India and Australia named after Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. Although India and Australia have been playing Test series since 1947, this series officially began in 1996 when Australia toured India for one Test match. Since then, it has been held every 2-3 years in either India or Australia.
History of India vs Australia Test Series at a Glance
Since 1947, both Australia and India have hosted the Test series on 14 occasions each (28 series total). Australia has won 12 times each, India has won 11 times, and the series has been drawn five times. The entire table of the India-Australia Test series is summarized below.
*Note that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy officially begins in 1996.
Host
SeasonPlayed
Series Winner
Series Score
Tests
Australia
1947-1948
Australia
4-0
5
India
1956-1957
Australia
2-0
3
India
1959-1960
Australia
2-1
5
India
1964-1965
Drawn
1-1
3
Australia
1967-1968
Australia
4-0
4
India
1969-1970
Australia
3-1
5
Australia
1977-1978
Australia
3-2
5
India
1979-1980
India
2-0
6
Australia
1980-1981
Drawn
1-1
3
Australia
1985-1986
Drawn
0-0
3
India
1986-1987
Drawn
0-0
3
Australia
1991-1992
Australia
4-0
5
India
1996-1997*
India
1-0
1
India
1997-1998
India
2-1
3
Australia
1999-2000
Australia
3-0
3
India
2000-2001
India
2-1
3
Australia
2003-2004
Drawn
1-1
4
India
2004-2005
Australia
2-1
4
Australia
2007-2008
Australia
2-1
4
India
2008-2009
India
2-0
4
India
2010-2011
India
2-0
2
Australia
2011-2012
Australia
4-0
4
India
2012-2013
India
4-0
4
Australia
2014-2015
Australia
2-0
4
India
2016-2017
India
2-1
4
Australia
2018-2019
India
2-1
4
Australia
2020-2021
India
2-1
4
India
2022-2023
India
2-1
4
History of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Now we will present each Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series in detail, in reverse chronological order.
BGT 2022-23 (India 2-1)
Hosts: India
Number of Tests: 4
Venues: Nagpur, Delhi, Indore, Ahmedabad
This series was marked by the excellence of India’s three spin allrounders – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, & Axar Patel. Resurgence of Virat Kohli, Usman Khawaja’s defiance, and Nathan Lyon’s effectiveness were factors in yet another absorbing Test series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2022-23: Ravichandran Ashwin
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2022-23: Usman Khawaja (333)
Virat Kohli’s 50, Tim Paine’s rearguard effort, 36 ALL OUT, Ajinkya Rahane’s Melbourne 100 & captaincy, Shubman Gill’s emergence, Smith and Labuschagne’s successful partnership, and Pat Cummins doing it all. Siraj suffers but delivers, Thakur & Sundar lead India’s next generation, Ashwin-Paine spice up the tournament, Vihari takes body blows, and the yin and yang of Pujara-Pant gives India series victory and breaches the Gabba fortress.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2020-21: Pat Cummins
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2020-21: Marnus Labuschagne (426)
Note: Bharat Sundaresan is going to release his book on the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy during the 2023 BGT in India. He was in the thick of things traveling to each city and discussing the events of each day with Melinda Farrell.
BGT 2018-19 (India 2-1)
Hosts: Australia
Number of Tests: 4
Venues: Adelaide, Perth (Perth Stadium), Melbourne, Sydney
If you saw the first season of The Test, you will realize what a thorn Pujara was in Australia’s plans. He defended, defended, and defended some more. In the process, he scored tons of runs. Rishabh Pant & Tim Paine provided several cute moments, Nathan Lyon vs Pujara & Pant was mesmerizing. Bumrah’s slower delivery to dismiss Shaun Marsh will forever be etched in memory. To sum it up though, it was Kohli’s captaincy and the fast-bowling revolutionwas key to India’s success.Australia was without the services of Warner & Smith as they tried to recover from the ball tampering scandal, but this does not take anything away from India.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2018-19: Cheteshwar Pujara
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2018-19: Cheteshwar Pujara (521)
Rishabh Pant (350), Virat Kohli (282)
Marcus Harris (258), Travis Head (237)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2018-19: Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Lyon
Mohammad Shami (16)
Pat Cummins (14), Josh Hazlewood (13), Mitchell Starc (13)
Steven Smith’s 109 in Pune – One of the greatest centuries on Indian soil by an Australian batter.
Australia started with a massive win and hope to win a series in India.Pujara scored another double century and a couple of fifties. Beginning to be a pattern, isn’t it? Steve Smith with scores of 109, 178, 111 was at his absolute best, but the Ravis (Ashwin & Jadeja) were just too hot to handle. Other players played decent roles as well. Nathan Lyon took an eight-for and Steve O’Keefe delivered that first win with 6-fers. KL Rahul with twin fifties, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Rahane, Wade all contributing as well in what was a competitive series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2016-17: Ravindra Jadeja
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2016-17: Steven Smith (499)
Although India did not exorcise the ghosts of 2011, Team India provided that glimmer of hope. It was Mitchell Johnson’s year and even though he was Australia’s highest wicket-taker, the partnership between Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane will be remembered forever.Just check this clip out.Virat Kohli’s twin tons in Adelaide made for a classic Test and set his career up. But Steve Smith. 769 Runs. Genius. Nathan Lyon. 23 Wickets. Australian legends coming into their own in this series.MS Dhoni surprises with his retirement after the 3rd Test, and Ryan Harris retires after yet another memorable performance.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2014-15: Steven Smith
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2014-15: Steven Smith (769)
Michael Clarke’s unforgettable year, MS Dhoni’s double, and the greatness that Ravichandran Ashwin is.Pujara scored a double as well, and Vijay continued in the prime of his life with 167.But this series will be remembered for Shikhar Dhawan’s glorious 187 on debut, Starc’s 99 at #8, and Steven Smith starting to make runs on Asian soil.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2012-13: Ravichandran Ashwin
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2012-13: Murali Vijay (430)
Cheteshwar Pujara (410), MS Dhoni (326), Virat Kohli (284)
Michael Clarke (286), Ed Cowan (265), David Warner (192)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2012-13: Ravichandran Ashwin (29)
Australia crushes India. Shall I say anymore?A drubbing. A disaster. Michael Clarke smashes 329* and 210, Ricky Ponting averages 108.8 and also scores a double. Hilfenhaus & Siddle take 50 wickets among themselves. James Pattinson announces himself (briefly) on the international stage. Rahul Dravid gets bowled 7 times. An end of an era. Kohli’s 116 in the 4th Test India’s only positive. This tour will always be remembered for the infamous 0-8.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2011-12: Michael Clarke
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2011-12: Michael Clarke (626)
Ricky Ponting (544), Mike Hussey (293), David Warner (266)
Virat Kohli (300), Sachin Tendulkar (287)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2011-12: Ben Hilfenhaus (27)
Short but sweet series. The Mohali Test is an all-time classic. VVS Laxman, back spasms, and a successful chase with the lower order. In the second Test, Tendulkar continued his dream resurgent year with 214 & 53*. In the second innings, Rahul Dravid was yet again going to be demoted from his #3 position for someone else. That someone else turned out to be Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a counterattacking 72. Cheteshwar Pujara—counterattacking Australians since 2010.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2010-11: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2010-11: Sachin Tendulkar (403)
Murali Vijay (176), Suresh Raina (118)
Shane Watson (271), Ricky Ponting (224), Tim Paine (183), Marcus North (141)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2010-11: Zaheer Khan (12)
Harbhajan Singh (11), Pragyan Ojha (9)
Mitchell Johnson (8), Ben Hilfenhaus (8), Nathan Hauritz (6)
Anil Kumble retires at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Ishant Sharma continues his growth with a player of the series performance. Although Hussey, Katich, Johnson, Krezja, and Watson played key roles for Australia, it was clear that Australia was in a transition era.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2008-09: Ishant Sharma
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2008-09: Gautam Gambhir (463)
The series turned out to have both off-field and on-field drama. What began as a great era of Test series from 2000-01 ended with 2007-08 with some questionable decisions and the Monkeygate crisis.Tendulkar still scored runs, Anil Kumble still took wickets, but Brett Lee was the pick of the players in the series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2007-08: Brett Lee
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2007-08: Sachin Tendulkar (493)
VVS Laxman (366), Virender Sehwag (286)
Matthew Hayden (410), Andrew Symonds (410), Michael Clarke (316), Michael Hussey (292), Ricky Ponting (268)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2007-08: Brett Lee (24)
Australia finally breaches the India fortress feat Damien Martyn. A young Michael Clarke, game-changing Gilchrist, and Gillespie all contributed to their effort. India’s spin trios—Kumble, Harbhajan, and Murali Kartik took 60 wickets among themselves but fell short.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2004-05: Damien Martyn
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2004-05: Damien Martyn (444)
Michael Clarke (400), Simon Katich (276), Matthew Hayden (244), Justin Langer (228), Adam Gilchrist (218)
A series for the ages. Ricky Ponting & Rahul Dravid at the top of their games scoring 706 & 619 runs respectively. Dravid’s 233 & 72* with VVS Laxman torturing Australia once again. Sachin Tendulkar resists his cover drive temptation to score 241*, Kumble India’s top performer with the ball yet again, Ganguly scores a ton. Sehwag, Hayden, Martyn, Steve Waugh all among the runs. Gillespie, Agarkar, MacGill, and Lee among the wickets. Something for everybody. Many great players of this era in peak form. Deserved 1-1 drawn series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2003-04: Rahul Dravid
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2003-04: Ricky Ponting (706)
Matthew Hayden (51), Justin Langer (369), Simon Katich (353)
The series that began the rivalry. Steve Waugh’s final frontier was so close, yet so far. VVS Laxman’s greatest innings of the century, the 281, and the partnership turned narrative around for this series and Indian cricket in general. Shane Warne’s expression that day said it all. Sourav Ganguly, the charasmatic captain leading India after the match-fixing era, Sachin Tendulkar doing what he does best (along with his googlies), and Harbhajan Singh being a class apart. India’s top three bowlers in the charts read: Harbhajan (32), Tendulkar (3), Zaheer Khan (3).From Australia’s end, Hayden, McGrath, Gilchrist, Waugh, Warne, and Gillespie all played a role in the series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2000-01: Harbhajan Singh
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2000-01: Matthew Hayden (549)
Steve Waugh (243), Michael Slater (166)
VVS Laxman (503), Rahul Dravid (338), Sachin Tendulkar (304), SS Das (173)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2000-01: Harbhajan Singh (32)
Sachin Tendulkar (3), Zaheer Khan (3)
Glenn McGrath (17), Jason Gillespie (13), Shane Warne (10), CR Miller (6), Mark Waugh (3)
With the exception of individual performances by India, Australia completely blew the visitors away. Ricky Ponting was the top run-scorer and Glenn McGrath was the highest wicket taker of ther series, two names that would come up time and again over the next decade. Tendulkar was the player of the series, but VVS Laxman’s 167 gave Australia a taste of what they were about to face in the future.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1999-2000: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1999-2000: Ricky Ponting (375)
Justin Langer (289), Steve Waugh (276), Adam Gilcrist (221)
1998—The year of Sachin Tendulkar. He continued his Sharjah exploits in Test cricket. Here is a clip of the battle between Shane Warne vs Sachin Tendulkar in India for the first time. Although Australia got a consolation win, India defeated Australia by healthy margins in the first two Tests.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1997-98: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1997-98: Sachin Tendulkar (446)
Navjot Singh Sidhu (341), Mohammad Azharuddin (311)
Mark Waugh (280), Mark Taylor (189), Ian Healy (165)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 1997-98: Anil Kumble (23)
Javagal Srinath (8), Venkatapathy Raju (7)
Gavin Robertson (12), Shane Warne (10), Michael Kasprowicz (8)
Nayan Mongia starred in India’s first Border-Gavaskar Trophy win over Australia. Another key contributor, Anil Kumble, would stand up again and again in the India-Australia Tests for years to come.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1996-97: Nayan Mongia
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1996-97: Nayan Mongia (152)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 1996-97: Anil Kumble (9)
The schedule for the 2023 BGT 2023 is shown below:
1st Test, Nagpur, 9-13 February, 2023
2nd Test, Delhi, 17-21 February, 2023
3rd Test, Dharamsala, 1-5 March, 2023
4th Test, Ahmedabad, 9-13 March, 2023
The ODI series is scheduled as follows:
1st ODI (D/N), Mumbai (Wankhede), 17 March, 2023
2nd ODI (D/N), Visakhapatnam, 19 March, 2023
3rd ODI (D/N), Chennai, 22 March 2023
Who were Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border?
Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border were two of the greatest cricketers in history.
Gavaskar was an iconic Indian batsman who played 125 Tests for India, scoring a then-record 34 centuries. He held several batting records and is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever to have graced the game. On the other hand, Border was an Australian all-rounder who captained Australia to their first World Cup win in 1987. He played 156 Tests for Australia and is widely considered to be one of the greatest captains of all time. Together, these two legends were instrumental in establishing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has become one of the most eagerly anticipated cricket series.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was established in 1996 as a tribute to two of cricket’s finest players, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. The series has since become one of the most anticipated events in international cricket, with some of the greatest matches being played between India and Australia over the past two decades. The trophy is contested every two years, alternating between India and Australia, with the last edition being hosted Down Under in 2020-21. The series has seen some of the greatest contests in cricket history, providing for a thrilling and intense experience for all fans.
We will just wait and watch what BGT 2023 has to offer. With all the recent past, I’m sure it will be nothing short of delightful.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was established in 1996 as a tribute to two of cricket’s finest players, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. The series has since become one of the most anticipated events in international cricket, with some of the greatest matches being played between India and Australia over the past two decades. The trophy is contested e very two years, alternating between India and Australia, with the last edition being hosted Down Under in 2018-19. The series has seen some of the greatest contests in cricket history, providing for a thrilling and intense experience for all fans.
When is the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
The next Border-Gavaskar Trophy will take place in February-March 2023 in India. It will consist of 4 Tests and 3 ODIs.
Who has won the most Border-Gavaskar trophies (BGT)?
India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 9 times, while Australia have held it five times.
How many times has India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia?
India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy twice (2018-19 & 2020-21).
How many times has Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in India?
Australia has won the Border Gavaskar Trophy exactly once in India (2004). However, Australia has won it thrice more before the inception of the BGT.
How many times has Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
Australia has won the BGT 5 times.
How many times has India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
India has won the BGT 9 times.
Who currently holds the Border Gavaskar Trophy?
India is the current holder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning away from home 2-1 in 2020-21.
