Tag: ECB

Text Info Strip

Back

SACA Celebrates Tony Irish on Receiving the Prestigious Tim May Medal of Honour

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) is proud to celebrate its founder and former CEO, Tony Irish, who received the…

Read More

Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

Read More

Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

Read More

ECB AND CSA ANNOUNCE ITINERARIES FOR PROTEAS AND SA ‘A’ 2017 TOURS TO ENGLAND

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) today announced the itineraries for the Standard Bank Proteas and the South Africa ‘A’ tours of Britain in 2017.

The Proteas will play four Test matches, three One-Day Internationals and three T20 International matches against England while South Africa ‘A’ will play three ‘A’ 50 overs matches against the England Lions as well as one ‘A’ four-day match.

The ICC Champions Trophy Tournament, which is also in England during June 2017, will take place between the Proteas’ one-day and T20 series against England.

“This is going to be both an exciting and challenging time for our Proteas,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “Test matches in England are always special and, together with the ECB, we have agreed a schedule that gives us a good chance to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy. We can all anticipate some thrilling cricket in 2017.

“By having South Africa ‘A’ touring England at the same time, we can take full advantage of making sure that all our players are exposed to English conditions and ready for any call up.

“By announcing these fixtures well in advance we are hoping that our loyal fans will travel to support our Proteas in England,” concluded Mr. Lorgat.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison commented: “With England also hosting the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup next season in addition to the two South African men’s tours as well as the West Indies, 2017 promises to be a hugely exciting summer of cricket – and a strong platform to promote our sport to an even wider and more diverse audience.”

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

MCC wants change on ‘umpire’s call’ lbws

The MCC World Cricket Committee has welcomed the development of technology that could allow the third umpire to call no-balls, and it has also recommended that fielding teams should not lose a review for lbw decisions in the “umpire’s call” zone. The committee has also commissioned a report into the balance between bat and ball, and specifically highlighted the quality and size of modern bats as an area of concern.

It was the World Cricket Committee, an independent think-tank made up largely of former international cricketers, that six years ago recommended serious consideration be given to playing day-night Tests. The current committee, chaired by Mike Brearley, met this week in Adelaide in the lead-up to the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand, and technology was a key part of the discussion.

“The committee received a report from Simon Taufel on technology designed to allow front foot no-balls to be monitored by the third umpire,” the World Cricket Committee said in a statement. “It felt that a fast, automated system for the calling of front-foot no-balls would be a welcome enhancement to the game.

“The committee also debated the ‘umpire’s call’ for lbws and felt there should be no loss of a review for the fielding side if the ball is shown to be clipping the stumps in the umpire’s call zone; this could then allow the removal of the reallocation of two reviews after 80 overs.”

The committee also discussed whether there should a be a limit to the size of the edges and overall depth of cricket bats. It said that the dimensions and quality of bats had started to distort the game but recognised that other elements such as boundary sizes, shot selection, player fitness, quality of pitches and behaviour of balls also played a part.

“It was decided that further game-wide consultation is needed and has commissioned a report to be written and brought back to the committee for its next meeting, at Lord’s, in July 2016,” the committee said.

It also said it would monitor the success of the ECB’s recently-announced trial in which the away team will be given first chance to bowl first in county matches, and the toss will only take place if they decline to take the bowl-first option. If such a change made it to Test cricket it could alter the dynamics of home-ground advantage; the committee said it was concerned that too much advantage currently sat with the home team.

“The MCC World Cricket committee is concerned that home advantage in Test Cricket now carries too much significance,” it said. “In the last three years, over 70% of Test victories have been achieved by the home team.

“There are other factors contributing to this trend, such as shorter tours and a lack of adequate player preparation in local conditions, but there are indications that pitches are increasingly being prepared to suit the home team. The committee would like to see a game-wide agreement that ground authorities be left alone to produce pitches that reflect local conditions whilst encouraging a fair balance between bat and ball.”

And, not for the first time, the committee expressed its strong desire for a World Test Championship to take place in an effort to provide greater context for all international cricket. Most ODIs should also count towards qualification for the next World Cup, the committee said.

“The committee believes that the game needs to address these issues as a priority,” it said. “In so doing so, more thought needs to be given to how the game to distinguish and market the three formats to ensure that they complement each other in a highly competitive market place.”

Share:

Text Info Strip

Back

FICA RESPONSE TO F&CA WORKING GROUP POSITION PAPER

FICA

Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) Executive Chairman Paul Marsh today issued the following statement in response to the position paper of the F&CA Commercial Rights Working Group that was leaked earlier this week.

 

“After reviewing the working group’s proposal, the FICA Board and our members are extremely concerned about the future of international cricket.

“This proposal is designed to vest control of the game in the three Boards of India, Australia and England. It is not in the best interests of the global game and we have real fears that it will only serve to strengthen the ‘big three’ countries whilst the rest are left to wither on the vine.

 

“There are a myriad of issues with this proposal. First and foremost, as Board Directors of the ICC, the Chairmen of the BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB owe fiduciary duties to the ICC that include putting the interests of the ICC ahead of those of their individual Boards, a duty to remain loyal to the ICC and avoid conflicts of interests and to act in good faith to promote the success of the ICC. We seriously question whether all of these duties have been met.

 

“The proposals relating to scheduling are disturbing. The reassurance to the Boards outside the ‘big three’ that they are guaranteed to earn more in the next rights cycle than they have in the current one ignores the fact they are almost certain to lose more money from a re-shaped Future Tours Programme (FTP) than they will gain from ICC distributions, when the ‘big three’ inevitably pick and choose who, when and where they will play.

 

“Of significance is the section that offers a guarantee from CA and ECB to play three Tests and five ODIs per cycle to each of the top eight members, yet there is no mention of any such guarantee from the BCCI. Each of the member countries, including Australia and England, rely heavily on Indian tours for sustainability of the game in their country. What chance do the majority of members have of survival if the BCCI decides not to tour their countries on at least a semi-regular basis?

“The result of this is that the gap between the ‘big three’ and the rest will get bigger and bigger, which will undermine the competitiveness of future ICC Events and therefore the value of rights in future cycles. This will affect everyone and it cannot possibly be in the interests of international cricket nor of the health and sustainability of the world game of which the ICC is supposed to be the custodian.

 

“We also have significant concern with the notion that distributions from ICC events should be based on commercial contribution. The result of this will be the countries that need ICC income most will receive the least, whilst the ‘big three’ will get the lion’s share even though they are already financially healthy because of the value of the rights to their bilateral series. The role of ICC events should be to assist in levelling the financial playing field by distributing the proceeds from these events fairly, rather than further widening the gap between the rich and poor.

 

“Whilst these are an entirely foreseeable commercial outcomes, for the cricket fan the greater concern is the increasing gulf in quality between the ‘big three’ and the rest. The essence of sport is competition and those in control of the ICC should be doing all they can to promote and provide a level playing field. This proposal will achieve the complete opposite.

 

“Ironically the proposal espouses the principal of meritocracy. The linking of immunity from Test relegation for BCCI, ECB and CA to an argument that this is necessary ‘solely to protect ICC income’ is plainly wrong, given the fact no Test-based ICC events feature in the forward thinking and therefore all revenues generated from Test cricket are kept by the Boards hosting the respective series.

 

“Once again we are seeing the result of the poor governance structure and practices of the ICC, on this occasion led by three of its Board members. This proposal is 180 degrees from the structure proposed in the ICC’s own independently commissioned governance review (Woolf Report). It is also clearly unconstitutional.

“The game deserves far better than this and all within FICA call on the other seven ICC Board members to reject this proposal at next week’s Board meeting. The future of the game depends on them doing so,” Marsh concluded.

-ends-

 

For further comment, please contact:

Paul Marsh – FICA Executive Chairman

(Media enquiries via Eivion Bowen)

Email: ebowen@auscricket.com.au
Phone: +61 425 555 569

Website: www.thefica.com

 

The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) was established in 1998 to co-ordinate the activities of all national players’ associations which protect the interests of professional cricketers throughout the world. It brings together all of the world’s cricketers, regardless of nationality, religion, political persuasion or race, under an international body focuses on matters of general interest to the game and its players. 

Share: