MCC wants ODIs to be trimmed post 2027 WC

MCC’s World Cricket Committee headed by Mike Gatting has also called for a financial stimulus for Test cricket.

The Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) World Cricket Committee, chaired by former England captain Mike Gatting, has given its verdict on how the game should tackle its congested three-format calendar. At its meeting held a fortnight back in Dubai, MCC “questioned the role of ODI cricket outside of ICC World Cups, and recommended it be significantly reduced following the completion of the 2027 World Cup”.

Sri Lanka's players pose with the World Cup Trophy after their victory during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier (AFP)

“The suggestion is that a scarcity of ODI cricket would increase the quality, achieved by removing bilateral ODIs, other than in the one-year preceding each World Cup. This would, as a consequence, also create much-needed space in the global cricketing calendar,” MCC has said in one of its recommendations to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

There have been suggestions from various quarters questioning the role of bilateral ODIs amid the burgeoning T20 franchise calendar. England Test captain Ben Stokes has already quit ODI cricket to manage workload.

With regards to Test cricket, MCC wants it to be made more inclusive by allotting a strategic Test fund for nations other than the Big Three – India, England and Australia. To address the issue of Test cricket being commercially unviable, MCC proposed that there be “a Test match financial audit to provide a clearer picture”.

“This audit of operational costs versus commercial return would help the ICC identify nations in need of support to sustain a Test match programme. This need could be subsequently addressed via a separate Test fund, established to protect the sanctity of Test match cricket,” MCC said.

Currently ICC runs the World Test Championship (WTC) to infuse context and life into Tests. But the exercise is restricted to the top nine Test teams with matches distributed unequally based on bilateral arrangements.

“In many ways, cricket is growing and, on the surface, seems financially strong. However, we are increasingly seeing a game which focuses on a powerful few, as opposed to a democratic and inclusive approach for the benefit of the whole sport. It’s time for the global game to reset,” Gatting, outgoing Chair of the MCC committee, said in a statement.

These recommendations come at a time when ICC’s quarterly board meeting is under way in South Africa, where many of these burning questions will come up for discussion. The 13-member cricket committee also includes Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara and Ramiz Raja.