ICC funds plan blow for HK and fellow minnows

A proposal that would leave cricket’s cash-starved minnows without sufficient funding could stall the growth of the game, according to several associate nations.

While the game’s 12 fat cats gorge themselves on the commercial riches generated by the IPL and other high-profile tournaments, the 94 smaller countries and territories face having to split a meagre 11 per cent of the pie among themselves.

A new revenue sharing model for the 2024-27 cycle proposed by the International Cricket Council, which will be voted on at its July board meeting, would hand 38.5 per cent to India alone.

Another 50.31 per cent would be divided by the likes of England, Australia and Pakistan, while associations such as Hong Kong,

Nepal and Thailand would get what was left.

The ICC has not commented on the figures, while Pakistan have already made their opposition clear and resentment is building among other, less developed, cricketing nations.

Cricket Hong Kong, said it believed the need for development should carry “significantly more weight” than handing more money to countries that already had quite a lot.

“Associate member nations, like us, need funds to build our infrastructure, run our cricket, development and the outreach programmes,” CHK board member Anuraag Bhatnagar said.

“Without the game gaining recognition and traction locally, corporate funding and sponsorship are scarce, which in turn limits our ability for growth.

“This situation can be alleviated greatly by the global governing bodies, if they increase the percentage share of funds for associate member nations and perhaps allocating some large tournaments to them as well,” he said.

Bhatnagar said the Asian Cricket Council’s decision to award the city the right to host the first Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, which will take place next month, was a step in the right direction, adding the CHK was grateful for the opportunity.

“The high-profile cricket tournaments like these help in not just the growth of the sport but also opportunities to build infrastructure and invest in the longterm growth of the game in the region,” he said.

Sumod Damodar, one of the three associate member representatives on the ICC chief executives’ committee, said the governing body’s proposal would not meet the needs of associate members.

Damodar, the vice-chairman of Botswana’s board, said associate members who have earned ODI status need more money to sustain their high-performance programmes, while the others need cash to bridge the gap.

Citing the rapid rise of Nepal in men’s cricket and Thailand in the women’s game, Damodar said more countries would step up if they were given the required financial support.

Tim Cutler, the former CHK boss and now CEO of Vanuatu Cricket Association, said the proposed model would only accentuate the inequality between cricket’s haves and have-nots.

“The new model is now even more heavily weighted towards the bigger cricketing nations, and there is a risk proposed changes will exacerbate this imbalance, putting the future of the game at further risk,” Cutler said.

“The sad reality is, cricket will not grow beyond its current corners of the world ... if the allocation of the game’s global funds aren’t more equally allocated with a view to actually growing the game.”

With full members having 12 of the 17 votes on the ICC board, Cutler said diverting funds away from themselves, or making independent decisions for the good of the game, would be like “turkeys voting for Christmas”.*