The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) has launched a critical review of cricket’s global structure, denouncing it as “broken and unsustainable.”
The players’ union, which represents cricket professionals worldwide, voiced concerns over the lack of clarity in the interplay between international and domestic cricket and criticized the sport’s leadership for failing to create a coherent global structure.
Heath Mills, Chair of the WCA, expressed frustration with the current state of cricket governance. “To date, the game’s leadership has collectively failed to come together to establish a clear and coherent global structure [for the game’s main three formats]. We have virtually given up hope of it doing so,” Mills stated.
In response to these issues, the WCA has assembled a committee of prominent figures from cricket and sports broadcasting to review the game’s structure and scheduling.
The committee includes Tom Harrison, former chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and Sana Mir, a former Pakistan international with over 200 caps. Their task is to collaborate with independent consultants to generate a set of recommendations addressing key issues in both men’s and women’s professional cricket.
One major concern highlighted by the WCA is the “growing disparity” in funding among cricketing nations. The association argues that this financial imbalance restricts the majority of countries from investing adequately in the development of the sport.
This disparity has been a long-standing issue, with wealthier nations benefiting from more substantial investments compared to their less affluent counterparts.
The WCA’s review comes amidst increasing dissatisfaction among players about the current cricketing schedule. According to figures released by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), 81% of its members believe that the current schedule adversely affects their physical health, while 62% are concerned about its mental toll.
This sentiment was echoed by former England men’s Test captain Joe Root, who in May criticized the schedule as detrimental to high-level performance.
An ECB high-performance review conducted in 2022 recommended reducing the volume of domestic cricket to alleviate player burnout. However, these proposals were met with resistance from county cricket clubs and were ultimately rejected.
The WCA’s review aims to address these scheduling issues and propose solutions that could improve the overall structure of the game. The committee’s recommendations will be submitted to the WCA Board, which will then consider potential reforms to enhance both domestic and international cricket.
As cricket navigates these challenges, the WCA’s review represents a significant step towards reevaluating and potentially restructuring the global cricketing framework to better serve players, fans, and the sport’s broader ecosystem.
