The World Cricketers' Association (WCA) has begun a comprehensive review of the game's global structure which the players' body hopes will provide solutions to the increasingly disjointed and cramped cricket calendar.
Heath Mills, the WCA chair (formerly known as FICA), said they had "given up hope" that the game's leaders could establish a "clear and coherent structure" in which international cricket and domestic leagues can co-exist. The review, Mills said, was the result of players wanting to have a say about the future of the game and wanting solutions to be put forward. One of those solutions, which WCA says 84% of the players they have spoken to are in favour of, is ring-fenced windows to ensure international cricket and domestic T20 leagues can co-exist.
A six-member group, led by former Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh and including former Pakistan captain Sana Mir, former FICA chief Tony Irish, former ECB CEO Tom Harrison as well as Sanjog Gupta (Head of Sports, Disney Star), will lead the review. The group will consult various stakeholders, including players, current and former administrators, and franchise owners before producing a set of recommendations to present first to the WCA board, and then to the game beyond, including the ICC.
The group is aiming to produce recommendations before the end of the year, though that is not believed to be a hard deadline.
WCA said the group would look at three fundamental issues affecting the game globally. The scheduling model, which it said was "broken and unsustainable" and "confusing and chaotic" and which was forcing players to choose between "representing their country and optimising their careers." It will also examine the growing economic disparity between members, forcing a "reliance on just a few to fund the entire game," and leaving the smaller members constantly forced to make "short-term decisions." Finally, it will also look at player employment and contracts, where it argues that the lack of a clear global calendar "makes it impossible for the game to regulate itself transnationally in a fair and balanced way."
"Change is badly needed to create ongoing clarity, and value, for players, Boards and fans alike," WCA said in the statement.
WCA represents players from 16 different members, including associations from Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa. The only major Full Members without representation at WCA are the BCCI and PCB, neither of which has a player association for active players.
"We are fortunate that cricket is spoilt for choice and has three core formats across both the international game and domestic leagues," Mills said in the statement. "However, to date, the game's leadership has collectively failed to come together to establish a clear and coherent global structure in which they can co-exist. We have virtually given up hope of it doing so.
"The players deserve a say on the future of the game and want us to start putting forward some solutions to known issues. The process we have put in place, guided by independent expertise, will be focussed on making recommendations to our Board on optimising the game's global structure, ensuring sustainable value, and providing more clarity, consistency, and less confusion for players, fans and commercial partners alike."
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