Australia favoured in ICC scheduling - Majola

The ICC's future tours programme (FTP) has turned Australia into a cricket superpower, according to Cricket South Africa's chief executive Gerald Majola. He believes Australia, India and England are favoured by hosting matches in peak periods and the other Test-playing nations "get the scraps of what is left over".

Majola said Australia's stranglehold on the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests was unfair and he confirmed 2008-09 would be the last time South Africa would take part in those iconic matches in Australia. South Africa usually host Tests at the same time - except when visiting Australia - but they are upset the FTP does not require Australia to tour around Christmas.

"All of the countries were asked to submit our most favourable times and seven countries all had the same peak period of Box Day and New Year's," Majola told The Australian. "Yet, when the FTP was drawn up only Australia got it every year in Australia. No other country had that privilege. For me that was seriously unacceptable and I challenged that."

The ICC were this week set to discuss South Africa's complaint that other countries are financially disadvantaged by the scheduling, which limits their ability to draw big crowds to home fixtures. "I am taking nothing away from Australia being as good as they are but I think the schedule has made Australia into a superpower," Majola said.

"They play more home games and most of those home games are during their peak period, therefore financially they will always be fine because they get bigger crowds than anyone else. There are only three countries which have far more games than anyone else: England, India and Australia.

"Everybody else just gets the scraps of what is left over from that. Our argument is that if the ICC wants the game to be globalised there should be enough cricket to create equality. Because if you don't have the games in the first place, how are you going to develop your players to compete with the best?"

Majola was frustrated that a previous administration had agreed to the FTP - which expires at the end of 2011-12 - despite the fact South Africa reportedly receives about $300,000 in compensation. "To my amazement my predecessor had signed a deal," he said. "This was for a fee that was so seriously lacking that it doesn't even cover all the players' fees and salaries."

James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said it was "a nonsense" to suggest that Australia had become a superpower because of scheduling. "We have been making a huge investment in the grass roots up for decades," Sutherland said.

"To suggest that Cricket Australia gets the program it wants is also a nonsense." He argued that next summer's unusual timetable, in which Australia's first Test against India is on Boxing Day, leaving a large gap in Australia's traditionally busy December period, was a direct result of South Africa hosting the Twenty20 World Championship in September.