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The ECB Chief, Richard Gould, has announced that Zimbabwe will be visiting England for a one-off Test match next summer in 2025, and they will receive a touring fee for their participation.
Gould confirmed this development in an interview with SKY Sports, emphasizing his commitment to addressing pay disparities in cricket. Last year, Gould spoke on the Final World podcast about the importance of fair revenue sharing among cricketing nations, particularly to support smaller teams in playing Test cricket and upholding the integrity of the format.
As part of his vision, he proposed that host boards should compensate visiting teams, a principle he is eager to implement and promote.
Richard Gould urges BCCI and CA to learn from ECB.
“There’s a huge responsibility. When you look at whether it’s the revenue share from the ICC or indeed the revenue share from bilateral cricket, which is fairly old fashioned in truth in the way that it’s delivered” Gould told former England captain Mike Atherton on Sky Sports about the need for the ECB and other financially strong boards like the BCCI and Cricket Australia to support this revenue crisis within the smaller boards.
“For example, next year Zimbabwe is coming to tour [England]. Normally the way things happen is that it’s the touring team gets itself into the country and then it’s looked after in terms of accommodation, all the rest of it. But there’s no fee for that team that’s touring. Next year when we play against Zimbabwe, there will be a fee for that team that’s touring” he further said on Zimbabwe’s upcoming tour to England next year.
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies (CWI), addressed the state of Test cricket in the West Indies, noting concerns about its neglect due to lack of broadcasting rights. His remarks were prompted by criticisms that West Indies had nearly fielded a weakened team against Australia in Tests. However, perceptions shifted following Shamar Joseph’s inspiring leadership, which led to a remarkable victory for the team at the Gabba.
“CWI has spent over 2 million dollars sending teams to Australia in the last four months and whilst CA have received all the economic benefits from those series, we’ve seen zero dollars back,” Grave had told ESPNcricinfo in January.
Richard Gould expressed solidarity with Cricket West Indies regarding their commitment to Test cricket. He highlighted his role in organizing the ongoing bilateral series between West Indies and England. Gould also mentioned plans to accommodate the West Indies U-19 team alongside the senior squad, responding to a specific request from the visiting side.
Meanwhile, West Indies are currently engaged in a Test series in England, where they have faced significant challenges. They suffered an innings defeat in the first Test and a 241-run loss in the second. In the third Test at Edgbaston, West Indies posted 282 in their first innings and had England struggling at 38/3 by the end of day one.
