Cricket looks set to become a global game

THE OPENING game of the Men’s Twenty20 (T20) Cricket World Cup on October 17th was hardly a glamour tie. Oman, competing in just its second appearance at the tournament, beat a debutant Papua New Guinea side by a comfortable ten wickets. Still, the International Cricket Council, the sport’s governing body, is keen for more such encounters. From 2024 T20 World Cups will be contested by 20 teams, up from 16 in this year’s line-up.

The ICC recognises three forms of top-tier, international cricket: T20s, a frenzied format lasting just three hours, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Tests, which are played over five days. T20’s fast pace makes it more attractive to broadcasters and therefore advertisers, and the ICC sees it as the ideal format to globalise the game. The more countries that take part, the more money that comes in, and the stronger the case for cricket’s return to the Olympics (it was only played once, in 1900, and Britain took the gold).

For most of its 144-year history, international cricket has been an exclusive sport. Today only 12 teams may contest Test matches and 20 compete in ODIs. But in 2018 the ICC awarded T20 international status to all 92 of its non-Test playing members. This meant any match between members would be regarded as official and the result registered in the global T20 rankings. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of International T20 matches quadrupled. The truncated form of the matches means they are easier to organise and play, which attracts greater participation.

The bigger challenge for smaller countries is money. Of the $2.5bn that the ICC will earn in broadcasting and sponsorship rights for its international tournaments between 2015 and 2023, non-Test playing members will receive an estimated $2m each.

Smaller countries are still locked out of the most lucrative forms of the sport. The bulk of cricket’s global revenues come from matches played by Australia, England and India. Any country that plays against one of the “big three” enjoys a significant windfall. But this triumvirate can generate even bigger profits by playing each other more often. Even traditional cricket-playing countries worry about being excluded from this bonanza. On October 7th Ramiz Raja, the chairman of Pakistan’s cricket board, complained that his country’s team depends too heavily on the Indian cricket board. Mr Raja may feel helpless. But he has some cause to celebrate—on October 24th his team beat India by ten wickets in their opening game of the T20 World Cup. ■

Editor’s note (October 25th, 2021): This article has been updated to include the result of India and Pakistan’s game on October 24th.