Last Updated on 16 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Lord Ian Botham is among those calling for a more equal distribution of funds among ICC members. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Botham, along with the likes of David Lloyd, touched on one of cricket’s long-standing debates.
Specifically, the panel spoke of India getting the majority share of the ICC’s revenue distribution model. As reported by cricinfo, the BCCI receives approximately 38.5% of the US$600 million annual earnings for the 2024-27 cycle. The ECB and Cricket Australia next with less than 7% each.
Ian Botham, David Lloyd call for more equal distribution of funds
Lloyd and Botham spoke of the time they played against the great West Indies teams of the 1970s and 80s, before the duo spoke of where cricket in the Caribbean sits currently.
“Getting back to when you played against the West Indies, who were fantastic cricketers and that’s sad now that their cricket is not where it should be,” Lloyd said. “So when you’re talking about India getting all the money, should there not be a better sharing?”
“That’s the problem, and that is a problem,” Botham said. “And I think the reason that the best players in the Caribbean nowadays are going to the IPL and other formats because they’re not getting paid the amount they should be.”
However, the BCCI’s dominance is clear. India generates at least 62% of the ICC’s total revenue, with the IPL and the nation’s love of cricket driving huge viewership. Also, India accounts for about 85% of the ICC’s global television revenues, which forms a crucial part of the ICC’s distribution model.
Other nations are working on developing sustainable models to drive cricket at a grassroots. Also, T20 leagues help drive those revenues, fuelling further questions as to what the Test cricket landscape will look like in a decade’s time and beyond.
For more updates and news from around the cricket globe, check out CricBlog’s news hub.
