The beginning of the end
The tinkling of the wind chimes at the door of Test Cricket breaks the silence as an intruder swings it wide open. The Grim Reaper, that twin-headed monster of filthy lucre and climate change, has arrived. The death of the beloved format of the game will not be guillotine swift, but rather resembling the snail’s pace spread of a carcinoid tumour. It will be a slow and painful termination, causing mental anguish for the fans as they witness the strangleholds of avarice and lust for power, dismantle Test Cricket, squeezing every last ounce of charm and appeal out of it.
Recent developments in the Cricket World do not augur well for the future of either Test or List A matches, as the game seems destined to be played exclusively in the T20 format. On 10th April, Scyld Berry’s “Disappearing World : The 18 First Class Counties” was published. Berry, a former editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack (2008 – 11), who has witnessed more than 500 Test matches, peruses the past, present and future of the County game. Berry examines the loss of the traditional long season of county games as the England and Wales County Board looks to cut County Championship games to just ten per season; yet another format of the game emerges in the form of the Hundred Franchise. As Berry laments the loss of “continuity and a sense of stability” he ruefully observes,”If county cricket is diminishing, even if only as a proportion of the whole, so too I guess is much of what we value most on earth. Glaciers, rainforests, wetlands, marshes and coral reefs are also disappearing, and should be treasured and celebrated in order that we may preserve them.” It’s an appeal filled with hope. Unfortunately, no one appears to be listening.
Last week, at Lord’s, at the traditional annual Wisden dinner to launch this year’s edition, Peter Frankopan, professor of global history at Oxford University, addressed the gathering on the daunting subject of climate change. Frankopan, whose just released book “The Earth Transformed” examines the fundamental role of nature in the rise and fall of civilizations over centuries, presented a gloomy future for the prospect of the game. Frankopan’s speech included the discomforting observations that reports suggest that cricket will be the hardest hit of the all major sports. Seventy-five percent of Bangladesh lives less than one metre above sea level and sea levels are rising, and, “In the Caribbean, research suggests that hurricanes could be up to five times more likely if climate targets are missed.” The professor duly noted that besides heat stroke and dehydration, heat exposure also affects one’s cognitive function. In addition, there is the danger of exposure to air
pollution, all of which raises the question of player safety.
In his book, Frankopan argues that when past empires failed to act sustainably they met with disaster. His suggestions to the cricketing family as record temperatures continue to soar in several parts of the world included investing in clean water, and clean and renewable energy. Most notably he stated, “I think you need to look at things like who should be your sponsors – it is not a great look to pick a fossil fuel company.” Frankopan’s advice comes a little too late as a fossil fuel sponsor is already in the house and looks set to take over the game.
On April 14th, Australian newspapers, the “Melbourne Age” and the “Sydney Morning Herald” reported that Saudi Arabia was looking to launch what will likely be the world’s most lucrative Twenty20 tournament. This development comes as no surprise as the Saudis’ sport washing exercise to enhance their political public image has been accelerating at an enormous speed. Last June, the Saudis launched the LIV Golf Tour (SN Editorial, 15th June, 2022). They also purchased Newcastle United Football Club in the English Premier League in 2021, the same year they hosted their first Formula One Grand Prix. Early last year, the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund reportedly offered US$20 billion to Liberty Media for Formula One, but it was turned down.
Last October, the ICC agreed to a global partnership with Saudi Aramco, the national petroleum company, as its naming sponsor. Hence, Aramco signs will be plastered all over the World Test Championship final between India and Australia in June at the Oval and the ODI World Cup in India in autumn. In February, Aramco was joined by the Saudi Tourism Authority as a key sponsor of the India Premier League (IPL). The IPL, which is administered by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), with privately owned teams, has banned Indian cricketers from playing in overseas T20 leagues, a rule easily enforced due to the very lucrative US$6.2 billion broadcast contract which facilitates large salaries. Now the Saudis, with their apparently endless supply of petroleum earnings have cast their eyes on the T20 game, and are expected to host the most lucrative league.
According to the “Age” newspaper, talks have been in progress for over a year to allow Indian cricketers to participate in the new league. Of course, the Saudis would prefer to just purchase the IPL, but it seems that they will be setting up a similar league which most likely will play in October/November, thus not causing any conflict with the IPL. The BCCI will have to cave in in this instance and allow their players to go, or run the risk of losing them outright to the lure of endless Saudi dollars. The proposed league will need the
approval of the ICC, which, based on its current sponsorship status, should be a given.
Last month, Prince Saud bin Mishal al-Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Cricket Board, in an interview with Arab News stated, “There will be leagues on all levels, not just one league. We’ve developed great relationships with the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council, as well as some successful international cricket boards and big cricketers globally.” And therein lies the rub. It is quite easy to envision the proposed Saudi League having all the world’s leading cricketers in their stable, and also the up and coming players to fill the leagues on the lower levels. With all the world’s leading players tied up year round to extremely lucrative contracts what will be the incentive to play five-day cricket? Furthermore, with these private franchises having invested enormous sums of money in these players, they will eventually control player movements, and hence they are the parties that will issue non-objection certificates for the players who wish to play Test cricket. Besides, the fees that the national boards will offer for Test cricket will pale in comparison to what players can earn in a few hours playing T20 cricket.
So what do these developments project for the future of the game? One scenario, based on the Saudis wooing of the IPL franchise owners, is that private entities will have teams all over the world and a large pool of players from which they can draw to stock their teams. By 2025, it is likely that the best talent in the game will be under the control of private owners with the national bodies virtually powerless.
On February 12th, the World Cricket Committee (WCC) met at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai to discuss the future of the game, and its members were at their wits’ end over how to protect international cricket in an age when it is dominated by short-form franchise cricket. Finally, it was recommended that there would be intervention from “various leaders to ensure that international and franchise cricket could thrive together harmoniously.” This looks like the WCC waving a white flag.
It is ironic that the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases since 1965, Saudi Arabia, looks set to become the major player in the game which is most affected by climate change. The fate of Test cricket looks to be sealed. The wailing bells announcing the death knell of Test Cricket (and the First Class format soon afterwards) will be heard in the not too distant future.