World Cricketers' Association report reveals a sport with massive fault lines and an uncertain future

Aiden Markram of the Proteas during the 1st Betway One Day International match between South Africa and Australia at Mangaung Oval on September 07, 2023 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Charle Lombard/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

By Craig Ray

27 Mar 2025

A new report on the state of cricket makes for sobering reading while also offering solutions.

The summer of 2025/26 will see no men’s Test cricket in South Africa for the first time since 1992. It’s a sign of the changing winds in cricket, with T20s now forming the bulk of matches in the sport.

It’s also an indication of the power of the “big three” – India, England and Australia – and their appetite for bilateral series played between themselves at the cost of others.

These and other issues were central to a study and subsequent publication of the Global Game Structure Report by the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA). The WCA is the global players’ trade union, which found the current cricketing structure to be “chaotic and confusing”.

A total of 64 people – including players such as Australia captain Pat Cummins and South Africa’s Aiden Markram and Laura Wolvaardt, ex-players, administrators and media – were interviewed for the report.

The outcome is that the main goal is to balance the need to protect the traditions of cricket with the need to adapt to a changing world. If they achieve that ambition, it will help cricket grow and thrive in the future.

“The WCA carried out a detailed review, led by an expert subcommittee and including interviews with a broad range of stakeholders representing organisations across the global game,” the executive summary of the report states.

“There is a clear consensus that whilst cricket has strong foundations, it is facing significant risk in a number of areas.

“Fragmentation, inconsistency, a lack of collaboration, limited context for most international cricket, and short-term regional thinking threaten the future growth and success of the game, and in particular international cricket.

“Without holistic change, the game is heading towards a heavily imbalanced future on and off field.”

T20 franchise leagues are cricket’s biggest growth areas and also the greatest existential danger to the traditional longer formats of the game.

This report does not advocate for the dismantling of T20 leagues, but rather for a more structured approach to managing the calendar.

cricket report Rishabh Pant of India bats during day two of the fifth Test in a series against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground on 4 January 2025. (Photo: Darrian Traynor / Getty Images)

Overhaul

The report calls for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to be “modernised” to “ensure that it is fit for purpose to lead the global game”.

The report essentially calls for an overhaul in both thinking and action to protect cricket as a global sport by overhauling four central pillars.

Scheduling: Creating a clearer, more organised schedule for international and domestic cricket;

Economics: Making sure the finances of cricket support growth and fairness;

Regulation: Updating the rules to protect the game and its players; and

Leadership: Improving the way cricket is governed to provide stronger, more unified leadership.

“Our sport has so many great things going for it, but there is potential for it to be so much better, and we’re encouraging the whole game to come together and help it to achieve its global potential,” Wolvaardt said.

While identifying problems is usually easier than offering solutions, the WCA does propose some concrete suggestions of reform to each pillar.

Economics

In terms of economics, it is clear from the report that cricket’s heavy reliance on India as a revenue generator is not beneficial for all nations outside of the big three.

India, England and Australia schedule significantly more cricket against each other than other countries. Between 2021 and 2023 this equated to 70% to 190% more days in men’s cricket and 90% to 120% more days in women’s cricket.

In the last ICC finance model released in 2023, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was allocated 38.5% of broadcast revenue, which was $231-million for the 2024-27 cycle.

Aiden Markram of the Proteas bats during an ODI against West Indies at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on 21 March 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

The WCA report calls for that allocation to the BCCI to drop to 10%. It will take a lot of convincing for the BCCI to give up nearly three-quarters of its ICC broadcast earnings in the next broadcast cycle.

The report proposes a new model where each of the top 24 countries receives a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 10% (which would be India) of ICC revenue.

It also suggests that countries ranked 25th and below should collectively receive a minimum of 10% of the revenue

The report finds that 70% of the revenues are generated in just three months of the year and 87% of all revenue is shared between just three countries – India, England and Australia. That is largely a function of their bilateral series’ arrangements.

The rest of the cricket ecosystem, when the big three are removed, generate less than 4% of revenue.

There is almost no accountability on spending and distributions either from the ICC to full members.

Only through localised player unions such as the South African Cricketers’ Association, is there any accountability and transparency on spending and funding.

Creating space

Key to the reforms suggested is a simple change to the global calendar for scheduling of matches.

The report highlights that the current cricket calendar is often chaotic, with international matches and domestic leagues overlapping, causing conflicts and confusion.

“Matches often have no clear purpose for players or fans, particularly in bilateral cricket, and different series have no real connecting thread that creates a narrative across the game,” the report notes.

“It is challenging for fans to follow the game, limiting cricket’s growth potential.”

It proposes a global calendar with designated scheduling windows, of four 21-day blocks, which are specific periods in the year when “core international cricket’ is prioritised.

Obviously, 21 days would not allow for five Test series’ any longer. That is likely to be an issue for the big three.

During these windows, major domestic T20 leagues would not be scheduled, or player release would be mandatory, ensuring that international cricket has prominence and the best players are available.

Aiden Markram bats against Australia at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on 7 September 2023. (Photo: Charle Lombard / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

Leadership and regulation

“In short, no one is actually in charge of the sport as a genuine custodian of the global game as a whole,” the report stingingly states.

The findings reveal that ICC’s governance model is seen as a “members organisation”, which prioritises the interests of its members rather than the global game.

This has led to regional self-interest and short-term decision-making while appointments to leadership positions often lack expertise and are not always merit-based.

The report also highlights an imbalance of power, with the biggest countries having disproportionate control.

“Cricket is a multi-employer system, and both international cricket and T20 leagues are important to the future of the game,” the report states.

“The ICC Regulations provide unfounded primacy to ‘international cricket’ over ‘domestic events’, rather than establishing a system based on establishing an appropriate balance between the two.

“This ‘fundamental imperative’ is used to justify several improper regulatory tools which give rise to key issues of concern for the game and players.”

Player movement is an issue currently and the report tackles this with a sensible global registration and tracking system for the international movement of players. It would respect freedom of movement while also considering competition integrity.

It also recommends a mandatory release mechanism between national governing bodies and domestic teams during protected windows.

Future

The Global Game Structure Report delivers a stark assessment of the challenges facing cricket.

Although not expressly stated, it paints a picture of a sport ripe for a breakaway, especially if funded by something like the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

The report reveals a sport at a crossroads, where the rise of domestic T20 leagues and a lack of cohesive planning threaten the prominence of international cricket and the game’s overall unity.

The restructuring of the cricket calendar with designated international windows is clearly a key issue and on the face of it, the most easily solvable.

But implementing a fairer revenue distribution model, modernising regulations to safeguard players and ensure game integrity, and overhauling the ICC’s leadership to create a more unified and effective global governing body, are also essential.

The overarching conclusion to be drawn from the report is that it aims to balance the sport’s rich heritage with the need for progressive change.

Does the ICC want progressive change? It has yet to respond to the report. DM

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South Africa

Overhaul

Economics

Creating space

Leadership and regulation

Future