Cricket’s future hinges on ICC meet
when it comes to this negative impingement brought upon by the cancellation or postponement of series’ and matches which are the lifeline for them as well as for their member boards.
The biggest item on the agenda, on ICC’s scheduled meet, will be the holding of the Twenty20 World Cup (T20WC) in Australia. Much as they would prefer, there is a certain opposition from Cricket Australia (CA), the hosts of ICC’s showpiece tournament that is slated to be played down under in October-November later this year. Their lack of enthusiasm comes from a financial not a health perspective.
CA’s losses, thanks to the virus, have forced them to take measures which are eventually going to have a direct impact on their bottom line once this season is over. Hosting an ICC tournament, which gives them little for their effort financially has made them believe it is better for them to bypass the much awaited marquee. Hosting India, on the other hand, towards the end of the year will give CA the much needed elixir to boost their finances.
Former Aussie batsman, Dean Jones believes it would not make sense for CA to play host as they have retrenched a lot of people and will need a battalion of resources to conduct a 16nation tournament.
With ICCT20 likely to be played (in all probability) without spectators CA is bound to lose as empty stands will cause a direct blow to an important revenue stream for the organisation. From a analytical perspective, therefore, it will make a lot more sense for ICC to postpone T20WC this year.
If the board members of ICC do defer the ICCT20WC it would give CA a big sense of relief considering their current predicament. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have promised to start their international season a month from now by hosting the West Indies. There could be also be a possibility of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held during the OctoberNovember window if the ICCT20WC is deferred.
This could be an opportunity for ICC, currently headed by ‘independent’ office bearers, to get two members of the big three (Australia and India) on their side.
Much as cricket romantics would like to believe, cricket is no more a mere sport. It is an industry just like any other business that thrives more on green backs than emotional appeal.
As cricket has grown bigger, thanks to the advent of commercial enterprises backing the game, it today has many assets to look after.
The unfortunate virus has turned these assets into liabilities and, at this moment of time, most cricket boards will be thinking of ways to handle these burdens.
With so much at stake, financially, cricket boards (including ICC) will give more priority to the economic impact rather than humanistic when it comes to deciding the fate of future tours and tournaments.
With no cricket played for the last three months, fans and followers have gone back in time and are quite contented watching and discussing the glorious past.
One reasons that the need for the boards and the ICC to fast-forward cricket activities has more to do with the economic impact than to let cricket fans down.
Fans, by and large, would love to see live action but not the cost of endangering themselves or their families.
As the global governing body for cricket, ICC represents a hundred plus members. It's mission is to govern and administrate the game and ‘work with’ their members to grow the sport.
It is hoped that the ICC board will understand the issues of its members (especially those that are more affected by the unforeseen hiatus) and take a decision on the status of the ICCT20WC.
They need to go back in history and understand that the game has survived issues like racism, matchfixing, drug abuse, tampering and more.
There is no doubt that cricket will survive this mess and bounce back as it has. The question ICC needs to ponder upon will be how they ‘work with’ important member boards (on whom they are dependant) to rebound.
It looks inevitable, but sports without fans at stadia is definitely no fun. It would be depressing to see the empty gallery. The deathly silence will only add to the sombre mood for players who sweat it out on the field.
It’s the stadium atmosphere filled with colourful fans who scream or jeer that makes sports a spectacle. From a player’s perspective, it’s going to be very challenging. The feeling when you walk into the field and see the crowd, no matter how many of them have turned up, the support that comes from the gallery is what inspires the players to give their best. Ramakrishnan C
Chennai
THE KICKS ARE RIGHT BACK
Sports at empty stadia won’t be the same because fans are the ones who bring the games alive. There is a different level of energy and excitement on the whole. Having us fans in the stands brings out the competitive sides of the players and definitely impacts the overall game. But on the bright side, the wait is over and the English Premier League is kicking off in two weeks. Time to watch some quality sport and exciting games just like the good old days, on TV.
Preetam Jain Chennai
SAFETY FIRST, SPORT LATER
At a time when the whole nation is reeling under the onslaught of Covid-19, such an idea (to restart sports) is not only bizarre but also akin to an anti-national activity. That they have the gumption to take for granted all governmental clearances for staging such events, speaks volumes of the unholy nexus between sections of politicians and sports administrators.
They will do well to redirect their adrenaline to purposeful pursuits in the interest of the country as a whole.
N. V. Krishnan Chennai