NEW DELHI, Aug 19: The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) has formed a six-member panel to review the cramped international calendar which it believes is “broken and unsustainable”.
Formerly known as FICA, the WCA hopes to get a “clear and coherent structure” in which international cricket and domestic leagues can co-exist, according to a report in the ESPNCricinfo.
WCA has members from 16 different boards, except BCCI and PCB.
The WCA chairperson Heath Mills said they had “given up hope” that the game’s leaders could establish a coherent structure.
“One of those solutions, which WCA says 84% of the players they have spoken to are in favour of, is ring-fenced windows to ensure international cricket and domestic T20 leagues can co-exist,” added the report.
The scheduling model, which it said was “broken and unsustainable” and “confusing and chaotic” which was forcing players to choose between “representing their country and optimising their careers.”
The review will be conducted by a six-member team led by former head of the Australian Cricketers’ Association Paul Marsh and he will be joined by former Pakistan captain Sana Mir, former FICA head Tony Irish, ex-ECB CEO Tom Harrison, and head of sports at Disney Star Sanjog Gupta.
The group will consult various stakeholders, including players, current and former administrators, and franchise owners, to develop a set of recommendations which will be first be presented to the WCA board and later shared with the broader cricket community, including the ICC.
There is no deadline but the target is to finalise the recommendations by the end of the year, according to the report.
“Change is badly needed to create ongoing clarity, and value, for players, Boards and fans alike,” WCA said in the statement.
“We are fortunate that cricket is spoilt for choice and has three core formats across both the international game and domestic leagues,” Mills said in the statement.
“However, to date, the game’s leadership has collectively failed to come together to establish a clear and coherent global structure in which they can co-exist. We have virtually given up hope of it doing so.
“The players deserve a say on the future of the game and want us to start putting forward some solutions to known issues. The process we have put in place, guided by independent expertise, will be focussed on making recommendations to our Board on optimising the game’s global structure, ensuring sustainable value, and providing more clarity, consistency, and less confusion for players, fans and commercial partners alike.” (PTI)
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