Ali Bacher Favours Two-Yearly World Cup (9 Mar 1997)

9 March 1997

Ali Bacher favours Two-yearly World Cup, global Test contest

By Shamim-ur-Rahman

KARACHI, March 8: Dr Ali Bacher, chairman of the ICC Development Committee and Managing Director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa has favoured establishment of five regional structures for the promotion of cricket, organising two-yearly World Cup and evolving a right formula for establishing a world championship of Test cricket.

Dr Bacher said important recommendations in this regard had been presented by the Development Committee of the ICC in its interim report which would come up for consideration in its final meeting in Malaysia on March 25.

The UCBSA Managing Director said the ICC Development Committee has recommended that five regional structures should be established to expand and promote the game.

REGIONAL STRUCTURE: The five regions proposed by the ICC Development Committee are:

The ICC Development Committee chairman said the regional structure was imperative for the globalisation of the game of cricket as there were no obligations imposed on full members and no international development programme existed to provide a context.

Although a "spheres of assistance" policy exists whereby full members are expected to provide help and guidance to Associate members , little had been done, said Dr Bacher while referring to observations made in the interim report.

The interim report has noted some moves towards regional structures, including the formation of the Asian Cricket Council in 1984 which included Asian associate and affiliate members.

Dr Bacher said leadership was required from the established countries in terms of funding , expertise and tours. Similarly, he added, Associate members could provide guidance and inspiration to affiliates and countries yet to reach that level.

WORLD CUP: On the frequency of World Cups Dr Bacher said the matter was yet to be fully debated and no decisions or recommendations had been taken.

The interim report observed that the ICC World Cup tournaments were the single most effective marketing tool of cricket as world game and could provide source of income necessary to fund the development.

Considerable benefits were likely to flow from a more frequent staging of the World Cup, the report said emphasising the need for taking into account the likely impact of Test cricket.

Despite healthy crowds in several countries, concern had been expressed about the future of Test cricket and it was "appropriate time to find the right formula for establishing a world championship of Test cricket which would counter any possible negative influences of a more frequent World Cup," the interim report observed.

"It also needs to be shown that a two-yearly World Cup would have substantial financial benefits for three of cricket`s stake holders , namely (a) the ICC Development Fund, (b) Associate and Affiliate members and (c) the ICC," the interim report observed.

It was also necessary to show that the organising country and participating countries would not be worse off financially as a result of staging the World Cup more frequently.

A discussion paper on the World Cup, prepared by Sir John Anderson, will be discussed at the final meeting of the international development committee in Malaysia on March 25th. The idea of World Cup of Test cricket was first floated in 1995 by Mathew Engel and apparently this had the support of the chairman of the ICC Development Committee. Australian Ian Chappell and Tim May, Ross Edwards, and Greg Chappell have already aired their views on the subject.

With the ever-expanding number of channels on television and the vast potential for commercial advertising associated with a seven-hour match, the following factors must be kept in mind while increasing the frequency of World Cup tournaments from four years to two, the development committee observed.

With a proliferation of one-day tournaments , there was a need to refocus attention on the distinction of the World Cup as the event which determined the leaders in one-day international cricket, it said.

Supporting the idea of holding the World Cup every two years the ICC development committee contended that "played every two years, it will certify that other one-day tournaments (important as they may be to the development and promotion of the game within regions), do not supersede the significance and importance of the World Cup."

Increase in frequency would also arrest the decline of interest and motivation following the conclusion of the competition.

More frequent World Cups would encourage business to invest in cricket and schools would be more inclined to include cricket in their curriculum.

The report says that there were indications that TV rights fees would continue to increase, and staging the World Cup every two years would result in substantial financial benefits to the host country, global expansion of the game and development among associate members.

In the context of globalisation of the game the committee noted that cricket had to compete with other sports and leisure activities for media , sponsorship and participant support.

It observed that the game was not only attracting increasing number of viewers, it was also providing the advertisers more time to expose his product. It was of the view that with the development of digital television technology there would be further increase in TV rights fees.

WALT DISNEY WORLD: The ICC development committee has also received a proposal by Walt Disney World Co that the committee believes will be helpful in the development of cricket in an exciting new market, said Dr Bacher.

Recommending the Full members to take advantage of the opportunity Dr Bacher said the proposal envisages that Test playing countries send their national teams to play at Disney Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando, Florida.

In this context he said a commitment from the ICC and Full members was required to ensure that three national teams would participate in an international one-day series for a minimum of three consecutive years, the tournaments to take place in August/September in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

When this commitment was made, Walt Disney would construct a cricket facility of international standards to benefit over 35 million people who pass through the various facilities after Disney World each year, of whom 25 million were from the United States.

The committee has recommended to the West Indian Cricket Board to pursue further discussion with the Disney World, in consultation with the ICC and the governing body of cricket in the USA.

Financial aspect for achieving the ICC objectives would be finalised while preparing a budget at the end of the month in South Africa and would be tabled in the final report for consideration by the member countries.

The ICC Development Committee was headed by the managing director of the UCBSA, Dr Ali Bacher and included David Richards (chief executive, ICC), Majid Khan (chief executive, PCB), Julian Hunte (Vice President, West Indies Cricket Board), Sharaful Haq(Bangladesh Cricket Control Board), Roger Knight(Sec, MCC), Joe Buzaglo (Chairman, associate members) and Clive Hitchcock (administration officer, ICC).

The interim report endorsed tours by "A" teams , also deals with alternative form of cricket on the model of Bakers Mini Cricket, annual marketing seminar and problems relating to staffing and other matters.

The final report will be presented to the ICC before June this year.

Source :: Dawn (https://xiber.com/dawn)