After Clive Lloyd‘s harsh critique, fellow West Indies legend Michael Holding has also voiced strong disapproval of the ICC over reports of a proposed two-tier Test cricket system.
The reports, published by The Age, state that Jay Shah, the new ICC chairman, is scheduled to meet Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird and England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson later this month to discuss the details of the proposal.
In a column for The Telegraph, Holding criticized the ICC for failing to prioritize the holistic development of cricket. He argued that the governing body appears more aligned with the interests of the “big three” cricket nations—India, England, and Australia—rather than taking decisive actions to ensure fairness and equity across the sport.
“When England visit their countries, when India visit their countries, when Australia visit their countries, they will make money. It has to be a matter for the International Cricket Council but they seem to be so weak. They have got to get some strength where they can dictate a proper schedule and say, ‘this is what has to happen.’ And people do not just go about and do as they feel like,” Holding wrote.
He also warned of the potential consequences of a two-tier system: “Because next thing you know, Australia, England, India or whoever are going to say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to that country. Waste of time. Why should I go?’ It has to be something that’s mandatory. This is what you do. For all its faults, at least Fifa actually runs football. The ICC must run cricket.”
Holding stressed the importance of promotion and relegation within the proposed structure, cautioning that without it, inequality would worsen: “If there is no promotion and relegation, the top division will just keep on making all the money. The bottom division will get poorer and teams will disappear. Maybe that is what they want. I get the impression that a lot of these countries that have a lot of money and take all the money out of the game want to continue and perhaps make it worse.”
He emphasized the necessity of including Division Two teams in the cricketing ecosystem, suggesting that visits from Division One teams could significantly boost revenue and improve conditions for lower-ranked teams: “But if they are interested in the entire cricketing landscape being better, they have to go down that route. If Division Two teams have Division One teams visiting them and can sell the television rights for good money, they have the chance to pay their players a little bit better.”
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
