CRICKET’S BIG SHAKE-UP

TESTS: The proposal for the longest format is for a two-year league. The top nine nations will play in one competition, with final full member Zimbabwe and leading associate nations Ireland and Afghanistan in another. Teams must play all others in their competition in a series home or away over the twoyears, which will conclude with a playoff between the top two teams. ODIS: One-day international cricket, under the new proposal, will gain a 13-team league where each team must play all others in a series home and away during a three-year period. The top seven and the host nation will automatically qualify for the World Cup. The bottom five will play in a qualifying event, where the final two World Cup teams will be decided. T20S: The shortest format is in for a smaller tweak, set to get a regional qualifying event for the World T20 for each of the ICC’s five regions. Points will be earned for all bilateral T20 internationals leading into those qualifying events. There is also talk of extra World T20s in 2018 and 2022, with Barclay believing the latter is much more likely than the former. SCHEDULING: The member associations are meeting this month to nut this out further but the expectation is there will be less international cricket played, matches will just mean much more. This would mean less conflict for international players wanting to play in lucrative T20 leagues, and would also provide the opportunity to spend less time on the road. FINANCIAL MODEL: The "Big Three" of India, England and Australia gained an even greater share of ICC’s 2015-2023 revenue under the changes driven through in 2014. Under the proposed new model, India would lose a substantial part of their share, England less so, while New Zealand is one of several nations in for a significant windfall. SHIFTING CONTROL: India, in particular, Australia and England also gained extra control at a governance level in 2014. The proposed new constitution reduces the level of that influence through avenues like the amount and type of ICC committees and their structure. The changes would mean world cricket was run in a "far more fair and equitable" manner.