LONDON: The World Cricketers’ Association has launched a ground-breaking review into the sport’s “broken and unsustainable” schedule.
The players’ union, formerly known as FICA, plan to put forward a solution that allows international cricket and domestic leagues to “co-exist in a clear, coherent calendar” for all.”
Former England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison and ex-Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir are part of a six-strong panel who will work with independent consultants on the review.
They will produce recommendations to the WCA board after conferring with players, administrators, team owners and broadcasters.
“The current model is broken and unsustainable,” a WCA statement said on Monday.
“Confusing and chaotic global scheduling with no clarity on the interplay between international cricket and the domestic leagues means players are increasingly forced to choose between representing their country and optimizing their careers.”
“Change is badly needed to create ongoing clarity, and value, for players, boards and fans alike.”
WCA chair Heath Mills added: “We are fortunate that cricket is spoilt for choice and has three core formats across both the international game and domestic leagues.
“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.”
Research by the Professional Cricketers’ Association in May found 81 percent of players had concerns about the physical toll of the domestic fixture list with little time for proper rest and recovery.
A 2022 high-performance review by the ECB recommended cutting the amount of domestic cricket, but the proposals were rejected by English county teams.
Former England captain Joe Root recently said: “It is apparent the schedule needs to change to see long-lasting benefits for English cricket.”
Ex-Pakistan cricketer Sana Mir part of union to review sport’s ‘broken’ structure
https://arab.news/2fe56
Ex-Pakistan cricketer Sana Mir part of union to review sport’s ‘broken’ structure
- Union says aims to find solution that allows international, domestic leagues to co-exist in “clear, coherent calendar”
- Six-strong panel will work with independent consultants, present recommendations to World Cricketers’ Association
Rating firm S&P says it won’t rush Iran war downgrades, sees risks for countries like Pakistan
- Agency says it is monitoring indebted energy importers as higher oil prices strain finances
- Gulf economies seen better placed to weather shock, though Bahrain flagged as vulnerable
LONDON: S&P Global said it would not make any knee-jerk sovereign rating cuts following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, but warned on Thursday that soaring oil and gas prices were putting a number of already cash-strapped countries at risk.
The firm’s top analysts said in a webinar that the conflict, which has involved US and Israeli strikes against Iran and Iranian strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states, was now moving from a low- to moderate-risk scenario.
Most Gulf countries had enough fiscal buffers, however, to weather the crisis for a while, with more lowly rated Bahrain the only clear exception.
Qatar’s banking sector could also struggle if there were significant deposit outflows in reaction to the conflict, although there was no evidence of such strains at the moment, they said.
“We don’t want to jump the gun and just say things are bad,” S&P’s head global sovereign analyst, Roberto Sifon-Arevalo, said.
The longer the crisis was prolonged, though, “the more difficult it is going to be,” he added.
Sifon-Arevalo said Asia was the second-most exposed region, due to many of its countries being significant Gulf oil and gas importers.
India, Thailand and Indonesia have relatively lower reserves of oil, while the region also had already heavily indebted countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka whose finances would be further hurt by rising energy prices.
“We are closely monitoring these (countries) to see how the credit stories evolve,” Sifon-Arevalo said.
