The International Cricket Council's 2024 Annual Conference was held in Colombo between July 19 and 22, and one of its outcomes reaffirmed the ICC's commitment to equality in the game.
The 2030 Women's T20 World Cup will feature 16 teams, up from 12 in 2026. In the upcoming 2024 tournament between October 3 and 20 in Bangladesh, 10 teams will participate. With the 2024 Men's T20I World Cup featuring 20, an increase to 16 in 2030 is not quite the same. However, this should be taken as a step in the right direction.
Women's cricket has grown rapidly in the last decade. Speaking at the World Cricket Connect event at Lord's on July 5, reviewed in last week's column, England captain Heather Knight insisted the women's game must learn from the men's game and not fall into the same trap.
The main trap she was referring to is franchise cricket. There are now 11 men's franchise leagues compared to four for women. The Australian Women's Big Bash League began in 2015/2016, followed by The Hundred in England and Wales in 2021, the West Indies Caribbean League in 2022 and the Indian Women's Premier League in 2023.
Knight expects that number to grow. He worries about how to manage that growth.
The expansion of the men's franchise league has led to an overcrowded calendar that has already pushed some Test match cricket to the margins of its historical tempo and ODI cricket. There is no room to adjust each pattern to its full extent.
Knight's concern is that the consequences could be more serious if the women's game falls into similar scheduling issues. He emphasized on establishing a clear direction based on good governance.
It is not clear in which direction she was looking. ICC is the governing body of cricket. A franchise league needs approval by the ICC to be legal. If it is rejected, players participating in such league will be banned from existing franchises and international cricket. It is not known whether any applications have been rejected.
ICC warns members about questionable offers from arbitrators to host franchise leagues. So far, these actions seem to be enough to prevent the notion of breakaway leagues.
However, the ICC has not set a global limit on the number of foreign players per playing lineup for each franchise. Its favorite number is four. In July 2023, the ICC's Chief Executive Committee could not reach consensus on the number.
This was a relief for the DP World ILT20 and the US' Major Cricket League, which allow nine and six international players in the starting lineup. It is understood that the Board of Control for Cricket in India, although agreeing with the principle of a limit of four, was against imposing the ban, an anomalous position.
Market forces clearly dominate the men's game, with some players choosing to follow the money, either by choosing franchise cricket in the country or another franchise.
Knight fears that unchecked market forces will disproportionately affect the women's game. This is because many countries have a low pool of female athletes.
If the best players are attracted by the franchise leagues, they may be completely or partially lost from international cricket. It will be weaker with international teams represented by players.
It is also the case that women's salaries and the amount of funding available to national cricket boards vary widely. The number of women playing Test cricket is very less than men. In theory, this should ease scheduling problems in women's cricket.
However, Knight is concerned that a proper balance is found, so that players are able to play in their country and franchise leagues. The former remains a peak of ambition, the latter an opportunity to earn money and be exposed to different experiences. There are already examples of top players having to juggle availability, a situation Knight is urging to minimize.
His intentions are laudable, but who will take responsibility for planning a coherent program? Market forces have a habit of winning when unregulated, as evidenced by the men's game, in which there is no turning back.
A new test of market forces is coming that will affect both men's and women's sports. It relates to a proposal by The Hundred and the England and Wales Cricket Board to sell 49 per cent of the competition's equity, valued at $515m (£400m) or more. The balance of 51 percent equity will be owned by each of the six host counties, free to decide what to do with it.
Rumors abound that those private investors who have expressed interest are being frustrated by the lack of clarity about what they will get for their funds, the reluctance of counties to sell their equity, the willingness to use a veto on who can buy stakes, and a. Lack of player availability guarantee.
It is known that there is interest from Indian Premier League franchise owners who want as much control as possible. “English cricket is not for sale,” the ECB CEO said.
There are many variables at play in this complex scenario. Based on this, the selling and buying parties are seeking to maximize financial returns and control. This general financial equation is overshadowed by the vendors' desire to preserve the heritage of English and Welsh cricket. There is no guarantee that buyers will or understand that.
Admirably, The Hundred is a positive for women's cricket. Knight's hopes for a ranked table may be dashed by intrigues in that competition, which are directed primarily by men. Given the growing profile and contribution of women in cricket, this seems unfair.
It would be no surprise if they felt the need to control their own competition and schedules.
