ICC Mulling Multi-Million Dollar Fund Dedicated To Test Cricket: Report

International Cricket Council (ICC) could introduce a fund worth more than $15 million or more specifically to bolster the financial health of Test cricket, the traditional format of the game considered by many the pinnacle of the sport. (More Cricket News)

As per a report published in the Australian daily The Sydney Morning Herald, ICC has adopted a Cricket Australia proposal to create a fund aimed at providing a minimum payment to all Test players. The fund will also bear the costs of overseas tours for financially struggling cricket boards.

The Australian proposal is backed by England and Wales Cricket Board and Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

“It’s fantastic to see some momentum behind the Test match fund,” Cricket Australian chairman Mike Baird told The Sydney Morning Herald. “We need to take away the barriers and encourage Test cricket to be the best of the best. To retain that history and that legacy, which goes alongside the newer forms of white ball cricket.”

Recently, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had also called for a fund dedicated towards Test cricket.

“There should be a dedicated fund for Tests, whether it’s $5 million, $10 million or more,” Shah who is set to become the ICC chairman had said earlier this week. “It is expensive to host teams for five-day Tests, so we are preparing for it. If the [ICC] board agrees, we are ready to do it.”

The fund is unlikely to benefit the three wealthiest cricket nations -- India, Australia, and England but will help other boards.

As per the report, the amount that will be dedicated to this fund will depend on a dispute with broadcaster Star. The Star network wants to renegotiate a 2022 broadcast deal with the ICC and reduce its value to half of the original cost of over $3 billion.

With the rise of well-paying T20 leagues around the world, many players have shunned Test cricket or even international cricket for lucrative deals in franchise tournaments.