The goal is to make sure all three formats survive, says David Richardson

[giri26]

A meeting of the MCC World Cricket committee is being held at Lord’s on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th August 2018.

Among the main items on the agenda are:

• The future landscape of cricket and competition structure
• The culture of cricket in light of ball tampering incidents
• New formats of the game
• Tensions between short formats and Test cricket
• ICC’s Global cricket strategy
• The global growth of cricket

David Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council, will present the ICC’s Global Cricket Strategy, and England batsman Alastair Cook will give a current player’s view to the committee.

William Glenwright, ICC Head of Global Development, Tom Moffat of the Federation of International Cricketers Associations, and ECB Chief Commercial Officer Sanjay Patel will all be present for certain parts of the meeting, having been invited to address the committee.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

The head of the International Cricket Council used his invitation to the Lord's event – whose keynote speaker changes each year – to spell out his stance on player behaviour and ball-tampering as well as putting forward the governing body’s broader vision for the global game.

Addressing a tumultuous year for the sport, Richardson said: “As fans, we want our players enjoying and expressing themselves, we want to see emotion, passion and pride from players. What we don’t want is robots, lacking in personality, but equally what we don’t want is ugly behavior.

“Lately we’ve seen too much ugly on and off the field of play. As a sport we must be united, not just in our desire to protect the spirit of the game, but every single person in the game needs to commit to living that spirit and ensuring it is relevant in the 21st century continuing to make cricket a unique sporting proposition.

“Sledging that amounts to no more than personal abuse, fielders giving send-offs to batsmen who have been dismissed, unnecessary physical contact, players threatening not to play in protest against an umpire’s decision and ball-tampering; this isn’t the version of our sport that we want to project to the world.

“The public reaction, around the world, to the incidents in the recent Australia-South Africa series was an eye opener. The message was loud and clear, cheating is cheating and is not what we signed up to. As administrators we have to do our part and we have agreed to take stronger action against behavior that is unacceptable, to back our match officials more and for Boards to behave in a manner themselves that creates a culture of respect between teams. We have taken a step in the right direction.

“But the reality is, it will be the players who can safegaurd the reputation of the game with their actions on and off the field. It is the nature of the players’ personalities, their strength of character that will ultimately define the spirit of the game and what it means in the 21st Century.”

Directly addressing the issue of ball-tampering, on which the ICC has clarified its sanctions, Richardson said: “Over the last few months I’ve read comments from players requesting guidance on what is allowed in relation to the ball. Asking if they can chew gum, wear sunscreen or drink a sugary drink and to be brutally honest, I find this a little disingenuous.

“The laws are simple and straightforward – do not change the condition of the ball using an artificial substance. If you are wearing sunscreen, sucking a mint or chewing gum with the intent of using the cream or sugary saliva on the ball, you are ball-tampering.

“You may not always get caught, we are not going to stop players chewing gum or from wearing sunscreen. There are many players who have chewed gum on the field throughout their careers and never once thought to use it on the ball, but if you are caught – and we have only caught players when it is pretty obvious what they are doing – then don’t complain, saying others do it is not a defence. You are cheating.”

He added: “We are relying on everyone to showcase cricket and inspire a new generation of players and fans. Winning must obviously be the aim of any game, but not at all costs, not when it means compromising the integrity of the game.”

In a wide-ranging speech, Richardson also addressed the continued growth of women’s cricket and the spread of opportunities to watch and play the game around the world.

“It is the diversity of cricket that is so precious – different formats, different nationalities, different shapes and sizes of people playing. As a sport we can and should be making every effort to diversify even further both in terms of new markets, but perhaps even more importantly in my mind in relation to women and girls,” he said.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/797748

 

[Abdullah719]

Goal is to make sure all three formats survive, says David Richardson

The strategy of the International Cricket Council is to ensure that all three formats of the game survive and thrive, Chief Executive David Richardson has stressed.

Richardson, in his MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture on Monday, 6 August, touched upon the importance of growing the game globally.

“We need to ensure that cricket is not elitist but is accessible to and capable of being enjoyed by all,” he said. “It is also necessary to provide opportunities for people to watch and follow the game.”

Elaborating on the theme in a panel discussion after the speech, he said Twenty20 cricket was the way forward to taking the game to new shores. “In the US, for them, watching Test cricket is like watching paint dry. Come up, run, bowl, shoulder arms.”

However, that didn’t mean the end of Test and one-day international cricket, Richardson insisted. “Our new strategy is to make sure the three formats survive well into the future, if we can.”

Dipping into results of a recent survey, he pointed out, “We’ve got over a billion fans, and 68% of those fans are interested in all three formats. So this is not a case of T20s taking over. People want to watch Test cricket, ODI cricket, and T20s. So it’s something to work with.”

Giving the example of India, which has the biggest audience for the sport, he pointed out that while the Indian Premier League could very well be commercially sustained for six months, the Board of Control for Cricket in India had resisted the temptation to do so. “They’ve always said Test cricket is important to them, 50 overs is important to them, and so far they’ve always been behind keeping all three formats going.”

Speaking specifically about red-ball cricket, Richardson agreed that while day-night Tests would address the issue of accessibility to an extent, it would take more work, and the context provided by the ICC Test Championship would help.

“Day-night Tests will be great, but it won’t be the saviour of Test cricket,” he said. “It’s more about how we market Test cricket. It’s playing on selected weekends, maybe long weekends when people are available to come and watch. It’s giving context to Test matches.

“I’m exceptionally excited about the Test league that is now being introduced, it starts after the World Cup next year – two-year league, nine teams, and the two teams at the top of the table at the end of it play each other in the final, probably at Lord’s.

“Back in the ’70s, they had that centenary Test. Even living in South Africa, I remember the hype that went with it. If we can create that atmosphere every two years, top Test teams playing each other in a one-off Test at Lord’s, and hopefully being crowned Test champions at the end of it – to me, that would be something to really aim for.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/798241

 

[mmkextreme_1]

The fact we are even talking about this shows that test cricket doesn't seem to have a future (might take it another 30 years to finish, sadly, it will die off one day, perhaps maybe just major test series i.e the Ashes will just be played?). 15-20 years ago I don't think anyone would have even thought of making a statement like this.

Also, how about also implementing rules that actually give bowlers a chance?

 

[Kroll]

MCC panel explores idea of introducing a ‘shot clock’ to speed up cricket

The MCC World Cricket Committee has floated the idea of introducing a “shot clock” to the sport that would cut down the amount of time wasted between balls and overs to counter the slowing pace of matches.

According to this MCC advisory panel, which is made up of current and former players, over rates in Test cricket are at their slowest for 11 years, while those for Twenty20 matches are at an all-time low since the format’s introduction in 2003.

While financial punishments are already in place for slow play, and five runs can be docked for a slow Twenty20 innings, they remain at the discretion of officials. This proposed solution is for a time limit that ensures players are ready to start the action, be it before a ball, over or after the fall of a wicket, with on-the-spot run penalties if not.

Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain who sits on the MCC panel, said: “It probably seems a little extreme, the idea of the shot clock, but most of the members of the committee and other committees have been talking about declining over rates for 20 years and once again this year in all three formats the over rates have been in decline.

“It’s basically the dead time in the game. So at the end of the over, the fielders and bowlers have to be back in position and that’s non-negotiable. The same with the new batsman coming in, the bowling team have to be ready when he gets to the crease. We are of the belief that a ‘there and then’ run penalty in the game would be definitely worth looking at. You would imagine then the captains would take a huge responsibility in making sure their players are ready to go.”

The MCC Cricket Committee, which holds no powers per se but can inform updates to laws and playing conditions, has also been assured that English cricket’s new 100-ball tournament will still be “a recognisable form” of the sport by the England and Wales Cricket Board. While the full details of the controversial competition, The Hundred, remain a work in progress, the ECB has confirmed to the panel it will have innings made up of five-ball overs bowled in blocks of two from each end and reports of 12-15 players in fact reflect an idea to have substitute fielders, rather than additional bowlers or batsmen.

John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said: “As custodians of the laws, what we’re concerned about is if you modify the game too much it ceases to look like cricket.

“What we heard from [ECB tournament director] Sanjay Patel was quite reassuring. At the moment, as far as I can make out, they’ll have 11 batsmen, they won’t have ‘overs’ per se but 100 balls, 20 balls per bowler. Apart from that, it’ll look like a normal game of cricket.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/aug/07/mcc-test-cricket-shot-clock?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

[MenInG]

he MCC World Cricket committee met at Lord’s on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th August.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, ICC Head of Global Development William Glenwright, FICA representative Tom Moffat and ECB Chief Commercial Officer Sanjay Patel were present for certain parts of the meeting having been invited to address the committee.
Chairman Mike Gatting said, “It’s been a very constructive two days, not least because the relationship between MCC and ICC has been strengthened as a result. The presentations we received, together with David Richardson’s 2018 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, emphasised the opportunities that exist for our two organisations to work together and I look forward to developing that relationship further.

“The input from FICA provided useful insights into the current perspectives of professional players globally and the committee was reassured to hear from ECB about the current plans for its new tournament.
“The meeting was also notable as it was the last for Rod Marsh, who is retiring after six years on the committee, during which time he’s given us many a good steer.”

The main outcomes of the meeting are as follows:

Zimbabwe

After hearing reports from ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, and Vintcent van der Bijl (MCC World Cricket committee member and a consultant to Zimbabwe Cricket), the World Cricket committee agreed that the measures put in place by ICC had created a more positive environment for Zimbabwe Cricket and that there was cause for optimism for the future. It was also noted that the World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, which included Scotland and Ireland, was completed successfully.
MCC has observed the outcome of recent elections and has taken advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and ECB regarding the possibility of touring Zimbabwe. No objections have been received. The committee was in agreement that MCC should continue to monitor the situation and should consider sending a team to tour Zimbabwe once conditions were right. The strength of the team should be decided in consultation with Zimbabwe Cricket so as to provide the most helpful opposition to create opportunities for the appropriate level of cricketers.

Global Cricket Strategy

The World Cricket committee welcomed the opportunity to hear from ICC Chief Executive David Richardson and General Manager – Strategic Communications Claire Furlong about the Global Cricket Strategy, and to be one of the stakeholders which is invested in the progress of the plan. The committee was interested to hear some of the statistics which have emerged from ICC’s recent global market research project, which indicate that 64% of cricket fans continue to be supportive of all three formats of the sport (Test, ODIs and T20). The committee particularly welcomed the news that 87% of respondents to ICC’s recent survey supported cricket in the Olympics, and that it was a goal for ICC to have T20 included in the 2028 Olympic Games. The World Cricket committee has indicated its support in the past for the inclusion of cricket for both men and women in the Olympics, and will do whatever it can to assist ICC in its endeavours, especially in regards to staging compelling cricket matches and supporting the spirit of the game. The committee also noted that women’s cricket hopes to be included in the programme for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which it views as a very positive step.

Cricket’s culture

The World Cricket committee debated the future of cricket’s culture in the light of the ball tampering incident during the South Africa v Australia series in March and escalating misconduct on the field which has sparked the recent scrutiny of what is meant by the “spirit of cricket”. The committee believes that a holistic approach is required, starting with international boards taking responsibility for the conduct of their teams, as well as the scheduling of touring programmes to ensure that visiting teams are adequately prepared. This extends to pitch preparation, provision of net bowlers and player socialising.
Women’s cricket

The committee heard from New Zealand captain (and committee member) Suzie Bates, as well as from the ICC about the inclusion of women’s cricket in the Global Cricket Strategy. The news was universally welcomed that an ICC Women’s cricket committee, to be responsible for all playing conditions and cricket playing activity, would be set up. The committee recognised the need to continue to grow the base below international cricket, to prevent the widening of the gap between the nations which can afford to pay its players, and those that currently can’t.

Pace of play

The World Cricket committee thanked ICC for sharing its statistical trends data, which is an invaluable tool to help, amongst other things, to track the balance between bat and ball, the volume of cricket and pace of play.

After reviewing the trends for the past twelve months, the committee expressed concern that over rates in Test and T20 formats had slowed down (Test over rates are the lowest for 11 years and T20 have fallen to their lowest ever level). The committee discussed various possible measures to improve the pace of play, including adopting a “shot clock” from the moment a bowler reached the top of his mark to the moment the over was completed as well as captains taking greater responsibility. The committee was encouraged by indications that ICC will be reviewing measures to improve the pace of play across the board and will continue to monitor the trend.
Laws of Cricket

The committee discussed feedback received about Law 41.7 concerning above waist-high full tosses. This amendment to the Laws, which was incorporated in October 2017 and which sees a bowler removed from the attack after two such deliveries, has been poorly received at various levels of the game; in many cases, it is being ignored or overwritten by playing conditions. The committee supported the recommendation from the Laws sub-committee that the Club should review this Law at the earliest opportunity.
Protection for bowlers (and all players)

The committee viewed footage of recent accidents involving bowlers who had been hit immediately after completing their delivery by powerful straight drives, especially in T20 cricket. The incidents, including one involving Nottinghamshire’s Luke Fletcher last year, gave serious cause for concern. ECB and MCC have been in discussions to launch a design project for manufacturers to develop head protection for bowlers and the committee is supportive of this move. It was also felt that a review of existing protection for batsmen and fielders should be conducted to ensure that current models are providing the best possible protection.

ICC Global Development Strategy

The committee considered the insights shared by ICC Head of Global Development William Glenwright. In support of the strategy, MCC will work with ICC to identify countries that would benefit from its touring programme and other meaningful interventions such as coaching, pitch preparation and umpire tuition. The Club is also very willing to share its resources, for example its e-learning platform for umpires.

New formats

Sanjay Patel, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, New Competition of ECB, addressed the committee to share the concept of The Hundred, ECB’s proposed new competition which is due to launch in 2020. The committee was reassured that the new competition would still be a recognisable form of cricket and commended ECB for its desire to seek new audiences for the sport.
Thoughts from departing committee member, Rod Marsh

Rod Marsh stated that it had been an honour and a privilege to serve on the committee over the past six years and listed some of the key topics covered during that time, which include:

• Day/night Test cricket
• Corruption in cricket, which seems to be less of an issue now than it was when he first joined the committee
• Governance
• Universal adoption of DRS
• Limiting the size of bats to help the balance between bat and ball

 

[Stewie]

The fact we are even talking about this shows that test cricket doesn't seem to have a future (might take it another 30 years to finish, sadly, it will die off one day, perhaps maybe just major test series i.e the Ashes will just be played?). 15-20 years ago I don't think anyone would have even thought of making a statement like this.

Also, how about also implementing rules that actually give bowlers a chance?

On the contrary that’s exactly what people were talking about towards the mid 80s and 90s when ODIs took over and the first 3-4 world cups were major blockbusters. Everybody forecast the death of Test cricket then, just as they are now.... but it has survived ODIs and it will survive T20s as well.

 

[USofA]

On the contrary that’s exactly what people were talking about towards the mid 80s and 90s when ODIs took over and the first 3-4 world cups were major blockbusters. Everybody forecast the death of Test cricket then, just as they are now.... but it has survived ODIs and it will survive T20s as well.

Yes, it will survive. But at what cost? Sure the Ashes or any series involving India will make money. But what about the rest?

How much money do you think the WI vs Ban or SL vs SA test series made? I would bet that there were more people in a single section of a ground of a single ODI of Eng vs Ind than there were in the entire 4 tests involving WI, Ban, SL, SA.

I am though unaware of what the TV ratings were. Because that is more important than people in stadiums. As TV is where the $$ are made.

 

[Stewie]

Yes, it will survive. But at what cost? Sure the Ashes or any series involving India will make money. But what about the rest?

How much money do you think the WI vs Ban or SL vs SA test series made? I would bet that there were more people in a single section of a ground of a single ODI of Eng vs Ind than there were in the entire 4 tests involving WI, Ban, SL, SA.

I am though unaware of what the TV ratings were. Because that is more important than people in stadiums. As TV is where the $$ are made.

Most people (read younger people) don’t realize that cricket as a game was not commercialized till the mid to late 80s. Test cricket thrived and survived the test of time.

You want to talk “cost” maybe you are in the wrong place. I understand the boards these days want to make money, but there will always be viewership or following for test cricket even if it doesn’t make money. In fact if some countries stop focusing on it, even then it will be watched whoever plays it. I watch the ashes, though I have no dog in the fight. I’ll certainly hope there will continue to be four five teams who always maintain a certain standard and comintue to play test cricket and Pakistan is one of them, as long as I get my fix.

There are a lot of sports in the world that survive without proper funding or generating a lot of money.. I know in athletics here in the US and some other sports, olympians are all mostly self funded. They are not on a retainer or get paid by the governmening bodies.

I don’t care much at all how much money it’s generating, most test cricket fans will probably tell you the same thing. I just want my fix, the money isn’t going to my pocket anyway, so why bother!

 

[Itachi]

Most people (read younger people) don’t realize that cricket as a game was not commercialized till the mid to late 80s. Test cricket thrived and survived the test of time.

You want to talk “cost” maybe you are in the wrong place. I understand the boards these days want to make money, but there will always be viewership or following for test cricket even if it doesn’t make money. In fact if some countries stop focusing on it, even then it will be watched whoever plays it. I watch the ashes, though I have no dog in the fight. I’ll certainly hope there will continue to be four five teams who always maintain a certain standard and comintue to play test cricket and Pakistan is one of them, as long as I get my fix.

There are a lot of sports in the world that survive without proper funding or generating a lot of money.. I know in athletics here in the US and some other sports, olympians are all mostly self funded. They are not on a retainer or get paid by the governmening bodies.

I don’t care much at all how much money it’s generating, most test cricket fans will probably tell you the same thing. I just want my fix, the money isn’t going to my pocket anyway, so why bother!

It survived because it was non commercialised.

Test cricket may survive depending upon the subsidy that needs to be pour towards it. But even boards are professional now which was not the case in 80s and 90s.

Boards are cutting tests in order to accomodate more odi and T20. Soon there will be a question of feasibility of keeping test alive with the subsidy. And that'll be the start of the downfall.

 

[Stewie]

It survived because it was non commercialised.

Test cricket may survive depending upon the subsidy that needs to be pour towards it. But even boards are professional now which was not the case in 80s and 90s.

Boards are cutting tests in order to accomodate more odi and T20. Soon there will be a question of feasibility of keeping test alive with the subsidy. And that'll be the start of the downfall.

As long as there is viewership, it will not die. They have been writing test cricket obituaries since the late 80s. People forecast it will take 10-15 years for it to die, some said 20-30 but here we are over 30 years after the big ODI watershed event (the first World Cup in Pakistan and India in 87) that totally commercialized the game in India and started the big money stakes, and test cricket is still here.

The big underlying concept that most test haters fail to grasp, and one that the administrators/players/others associated with the game fully understand is that if trst cricket dies, the quality of the players produced by the game will suffer everywhere. It will have an alarming cascading effect on the game and nobody will pay to watch bad quality.

So in an ironic sense, LOI cricket desperately needs test cricket to survive, and vice versa. It’s a symbiotic relationship and I think that’s exactly what this statement from David Richardson is saying if you read it carefully..

All three formats are important for the game’s health. Test cricket might get diminished in terms of the number of countries who focus on it but it’s NEVER going to die, as long as the game of bat and ball as we know it lives.. SIMPLE!

 

[Itachi]

As long as there is viewership, it will not die. They have been writing test cricket obituaries since the late 80s. People forecast it will take 10-15 years for it to die, some said 20-30 but here we are over 30 years after the big ODI watershed event (the first World Cup in Pakistan and India in 87) that totally commercialized the game in India and started the big money stakes, and test cricket is still here.

The big underlying concept that most test haters fail to grasp, and one that the administrators/players/others associated with the game fully understand is that if trst cricket dies, the quality of the players produced by the game will suffer everywhere. It will have an alarming cascading effect on the game and nobody will pay to watch bad quality.

So in an ironic sense, LOI cricket desperately needs test cricket to survive, and vice versa. It’s a symbiotic relationship and I think that’s exactly what this statement from David Richardson is saying if you read it carefully..

All three formats are important for the game’s health. Test cricket might get diminished in terms of the number of countries who focus on it but it’s NEVER going to die, as long as the game of bat and ball as we know it lives.. SIMPLE!

Key here is the time factor.

Timeless tests were norm once. But as popularity decreased, it had to make 5 days to attract viewership. If you are talking about from a purist view, the test cricket should have had been in its pure form without a time limit which will put every players into their utmost potential. But that didn't work.

Sooner there will be proposal to make tests into 4 days which will decrease the gap between odi and test.

Here die means, to lose its original value. There will be tests here and there but the whole concept that, that a test is, will die.

You can call it as a living dead.

 

[Stewie]

Key here is the time factor.

Timeless tests were norm once. But as popularity decreased, it had to make 5 days to attract viewership. If you are talking about from a purist view, the test cricket should have had been in its pure form without a time limit which will put every players into their utmost potential. But that didn't work.

Sooner there will be proposal to make tests into 4 days which will decrease the gap between odi and test.

Here die means, to lose its original value. There will be tests here and there but the whole concept that, that a test is, will die.

You can call it as a living dead.

That’s a funny definition and I’ll disagree with it. I will call it evolution. we can claim ODI cricket is also dead because of the various changes introduced to it since its inception. I don’t hear you say that..

Some changes:
Limitation to max 50 overs.. first two world cups were 55 over affairs
Fielding restrictions ( there were none when it first started)
Two new balls
No leg side balls were wide.
No restriction on bouncers.

I think you are confusing a few concepts here:
There is a purist view and then there is a pro test cricket view.

I am all for positive changes as natural progression and evolution of the game. Reducing ODIs to 40 overs and tests to 4 days is fine with me. As long as it fully tests the skills of all players involved and produces an absorbing and balanced contest between bat and ball (unlike the batsman friendly haberdashery that’s T20 cricket) I am fine with it.. a proper cricket game is one where both sides get to bat twice on a pitch rather than one side getting easy first use or difficult first use based on its nature.. where to winnyiu have to take twenty wickets, it just has a net seizing beauty. It’s unlike anything you can see in the world of sports. It truly tests character. That’s why it’s called Test cricket. It’s beautiful, it’s poetic and for me personally nothing else comes close..

 

[hadi123]

Putting in place a ‘shot clock’ to improve pace of the game among the suggestions put forward by the Marylebone Cricket Club’s World Cricket Committee.

“It’s been a very constructive two days, not least because the relationship between MCC and ICC has been strengthened as a result,” said Mike Gatting, the former England captain and Chairman of the committee.

“The presentations we received, together with David Richardson’s 2018 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, emphasised the opportunities that exist for our two organisations to work together and I look forward to developing that relationship further.”

Among the major issues that Richardson, the ICC’s Chief Executive, stressed on repeatedly in his lecture was player conduct on and off the field, as well as ball tampering, an issue that has returned to the limelight in recent months.

The committee back the ICC’s introduction of harsher sanctions for players trying to alter the condition of the ball, and Ricky Ponting, a member of the committee, praised Cricket Australia for handing out the strong penalties to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

The committee said on its website that it believes “a holistic approach is required, starting with international boards taking responsibility for the conduct of their teams, as well as the scheduling of touring programmes to ensure that visiting teams are adequately prepared. This extends to pitch preparation, provision of net bowlers and player socialising.”

One of the other major discussion points was the pace of the game, which has been perceived to have gone down in recent years.

Having examined the ICC’s statistical trends data, the committee expressed concern that over rates in Test and T20 formats had slowed down (Test over rates are the lowest for 11 years and T20 have fallen to their lowest ever level).

An innovative solution has also been proposed in this regard: Shot clocks, “from the moment a bowler reached the top of his mark to the moment the over was completed as well as captains taking greater responsibility”.

“A shot clock probably seems a little extreme but the rates have declined,” said Ponting. “At the end of an over, the fielders and the bowler have to be back in position and ready to bowl by a certain time and that's non-negotiable.”

Ponting also suggested that a more immediate run penalty be administered during the match as a deterrent. “You would imagine captains would then take huge responsibility in making sure their players are in a position to go,” he said. “If, through the course of a game or a day, they're not in position for three or four overs then that could be 20 runs.”

As for women’s cricket, Suzie Bates, the New Zealand captain and a committee member, spoke about including the format in the Global Cricket Strategy, and the big update on that front was that “an ICC Women’s cricket committee, to be responsible for all playing conditions and cricket playing activity, would be set up”.

The ICC’s recent global market research project, which indicate that 64% of cricket fans continue to be supportive of all three formats of the sport was received with happiness by the committee, which “particularly welcomed the news that 87% of respondents to ICC’s recent survey supported cricket in the Olympics, and that it was a goal for ICC to have T20 included in the 2028 Olympic Games”.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/798532

 

[MenInG]

ICC Media Release:

The International Cricket Council today announced Manu Sawhney has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer. Sawhney, the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, will join the organization next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson in July following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The appointment was ratified by the ICC Board following a global search and appointment process led by ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar and the Nominations Committee.

Mr Manohar said: “I am delighted to confirm Manu’s appointment today. He brings 22 years of outstanding commercial experience to the ICC and will lead the delivery of our new global growth strategy for the game. Our search produced a host of excellent candidates from around the world, but Manu stood out as the man to work with our Members and take cricket forward.

“He has proven success in a number of leadership roles in both sport and broadcasting. He is a strategic thinker and understands the cricket landscape and its complexities. The decision of the Nominations Committee to recommend Manu to the Board was a unanimous one and I and my fellow directors are looking forward to working with him.”

Sawhney, was with ESPN Star Sports for seventeen years and during his tenure as Managing Director was responsible for scaling the business and doubling annual revenues whilst delivering an innovative content and digital growth strategy and building strong partnerships with stakeholders across 24 countries in Asia. Additionally, he led the global broadcast partnership deal with the ICC that ran from 2007-2015. He is also a non-executive director and member of the Audit Committee of Manchester United Ltd

He said: “It is a great privilege and responsibility to serve the global cricket community as CEO of the ICC. The sport has more than a billion fans and an ambitious growth strategy so it is a very exciting time to lead the organization.

“I’d like to thank the ICC Board for giving me this opportunity and look forward to working with them, our Members, the team and ICC’s incredible partners and cricketers around the world to propel the sport forward into a period of significant and sustained global growth in the coming years.

Sawhney will join the ICC in mid-February and will work alongside David Richardson the outgoing CEO to ensure a smooth transition of leadership before assuming control in July.