ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta on bilateral series, ODI future, Test cricket and World Cup window

The era of “randomly” scheduled bilateral series has come to an end, International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Sanjog Gupta has said, stressing the need to give international cricket greater context.

Gupta also backed the future of ODI cricket and said the 50-over format could continue to thrive if it remains closely linked with the men’s and women’s World Cups.

Gupta, who joined the ICC in July last year after serving as head of sports at JioStar, spoke about the future of Test and ODI cricket.

Both formats are facing questions over their relevance as T20 cricket continues to expand. Franchise leagues have also taken up more space in the cricket calendar.

“The era of randomly scheduled bilateral series has to come to an end, because countries will not be able to sustain cricket without context, culture, competition and competitiveness, which require significant investment of resources, both financial and non-financial,” Gupta told PTI.

“It’s important to stay focused on the four levers which drive attention and affiliation—context, culture, competition, and competitiveness—and ODIs can continue not just to survive, but thrive.”

Gupta said ODI cricket still has a place in the international game. He believes its link with the World Cup can help protect its relevance.

“There is a place for the format in the product portfolio, which is inextricably linked to men’s and women’s ICC Cricket World Cups. We need to look at what we want the format to stand for and how we want it to evolve, including the expanse of participation,” he said.

Bilateral cricket is controlled by the member boards. The ICC does not decide the schedule for these series.

The world governing body handles multi-nation events such as the World Cups and the World Test Championship. The member boards also retain the sponsorship and media rights for bilateral cricket.

Test cricket has faced a bigger commercial challenge in recent years. India, England and Australia remain the strongest markets for the longest format.

Several other full members continue to find it difficult to generate enough revenue from Test cricket. ODIs have also faced competition from the popularity of T20 cricket.

IF YOU ARE NOT GROWING, YOU ARE DYING

Gupta said cricket cannot afford to remain satisfied with the status quo.

“Our ambition has to be growth; our ambition should never be to maintain the status quo. Because in this world, where population is growing, attention is getting disaggregated and affiliation is hard to sustain, if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he said.

The ICC CEO pointed to Wimbledon and The Masters as examples of major sporting events that have protected their prestige while adapting to changing audiences.

“There is obviously value in high-quality Test cricket. There is prestige, legacy and a sense of heritage associated with it, but if prestige, legacy and heritage are not made relevant and amplified, then the product can become burdensome.

“Wimbledon and The Masters are examples of prestige events looking at ways to reinvent themselves and remain relevant by using their premium status to their advantage,” he said.

Gupta said Test cricket also needs to offer a better experience to modern audiences.

“We have to focus on the experience of Test cricket and ensure that fans engaging with it are being served a viable and appealing product,” he said.

He acknowledged the value of Test cricket and said the World Test Championship has helped give the format greater context.

However, Gupta said the commercial side of the format cannot be ignored.

“Every time there is conversation around the commercials of Test cricket, the passion, pride and legacy tend to override the conversation around the economics. I don’t think the answer is necessarily binary, and I don’t think it’s a question solely for Test cricket to answer but one which must be asked of all our products across formats and events,” he said.

“Our primary tool of global growth is T20 cricket, but that does not mean we don’t focus on growing the value or engagement around ODIs or Test cricket. The World Test Championship Final is now an event of significance and one that didn’t even exist seven years ago.”

Gupta also called for better scheduling of Test cricket outside the big three nations.

“We will continue to invest in growing the status, significance and spectacle associated with cricket’s marquee events. Test matches in certain countries are of immense fan value, but can we focus more on providing Members with opportunities to build occasions of appointment and significance in Test cricket?” he said.

Gupta said better scheduling alone will not be enough. Test cricket will also need stronger marketing and competitive contests.

“That has to be by virtue of the World Test Championship having more meaning and a continuing narrative, by virtue of Test cricket being scheduled optimally, by virtue of Tests receiving adequate positioning and marketing support, by virtue of the competitive standards of the two teams and playing conditions being offered, and fans being promised cricket which is going to be compelling,” he said.

The ICC’s approach is to give each format a clearer role in the international calendar.

– Ends