After saying earlier this year that the present system is “completely broken,” Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave thinks that recollections of the team’s 2020 bio-secure trip of England would help to promote the narrative regarding the revenue-share paradigm in Test cricket.
Speaking at Lord’s during the MCC’s inaugural World Cricket Connects symposium, which brought together many of the most prominent players, administrators, and media representatives in the sport, Grave expressed his hope that the West Indies would prove to be a competitive force once more, as they had demonstrated by winning both of their most recent home series against England in 2019 and 2022, as well as the first Test of the 2020 tour in Southampton.
The onus, he said, was on cricket’s Big Three – India, England, and Australia – to find a better way to support the economies of the sport’s less financially secure nations rather than just sending their own teams on endless overseas tours, from which the host boards are able to replenish their coffers, especially in light of CWI’s reported outlay of US$2 million to complete their tour of Australia in January and February.
“It’s a double-whammy, because we don’t receive any money from the Australian market or that tour,” Grave said during a Test tour in which the West Indies once again surpassed expectations with their epic series-level victory at the Gabba in January.
“Several steps are being taken to maintain this competitive equilibrium and guarantee the success of the three forms. I believe the simplest thing to say is, “This format doesn’t work well or isn’t sustainable in this market or that nation, but if the game collaborates and has a group mentality, there are plenty of resources available to make sure the game can succeed.”
Just days after winning the T20 international Cup in Barbados, Grave pointed to India’s current T20I series in Zimbabwe, which has a revamped side under the leadership of Shubman Gill, as evidence that the BCCI “cannot do more for the world game” in a purely playing role.
“Does cricket need us to play more meaningful, contextual games? Indeed,” replied Grave. However, since we are discussing income sharing between three countries, I believe Richard’s remark about being open to doing so is really beneficial.
“The BCCI is the only nation that can play cricket longer or contribute more to the global game than they already do. With a few exceptions, England has been amazing; they have visited us almost annually since 2017. Could they do anything more to help us? Not really. The model and the finances must therefore be examined, and the fact that the leaders of the ECB, Australia, and India are even discussing it suggests that a mental adjustment is necessary.
When West Indies played a crucial role in “keeping the lights on” during the Covid-19 summer of 2020, England’s susceptibility to the disintegrating international game became evident, as stated by former ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.
West Indies helped the ECB achieve its financial duty to Sky Sports by agreeing to play their three scheduled Tests in bio-secure facilities at Old Trafford and Southampton, behind closed doors. Each Test is estimated to be worth over £20 million. Thus, the ECB’s losses—which ultimately totaled somewhere around £100 million—were lessened.
“I think what Covid proved was that you can’t play against yourselves, and that you need to have opposition,” Grave said. “The product is better when there is real risk—that is, when the adversary is stronger and the game is more balanced.
“In COVID, everyone needed to unite. It didn’t matter that we weren’t making any money by coming here. None of us knew if the game would ever exist as we knew it, so we were all attempting to rescue it.”
Only a few weeks had passed since the Caribbean T20 World Cup concluded before the West Indies’ Test trip began. Though the hosts lost to South Africa in a close match to miss the semi-finals, there was a tangible sense of unity and expectation from a group of well-known players whose best financial opportunities still lie in T20 franchise cricket, but whose renewed faith in CWI has been a noteworthy feature of Grave’s tenure as CEO.
“We’ve had to find balance, which was initially struck by speaking to the players in a respectful way and creating two windows, in the IPL and the CPL,” Grave stated. We then made an effort to schedule bilateral cricket with our players in a way that was flexible and balanced. We try to avoid playing during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday because we know how important it is for our players to spend time with their families. However, we also make an effort to provide windows of time for them to play in other leagues when their schedule permits.
It so comes down to balancing. And our T20 team’s captains, Darren Sammy and Rovman Powell, are doing a great job of keeping those players focused right now.”
With the first Test scheduled to take place at Lord’s, a ground the West Indies haven’t visited since 2017, focus is now shifting to the Test series against England.
“It’s probably the pinnacle Test series that we play, it’s the barometer of how the team are developing,” Grave stated. “Obviously, a lot has happened since that incredible day at the Gabba, and for many of the players, this will be their first-ever performance at Lord’s. We’re coming off a high.
“They are competing for the Richards-Botham Trophy, which is the pinnacle of West Indies and English friendship and unity. Being here is always unique, but I think it’s great that our players can ideally use a Test series at Lord’s to introduce themselves to the English public.”
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