| MUMBAI:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will pump $300 million into the worldwide
development of cricket below full members.
In
his first week as ICC chief executive officer, Haroon Lorgat
has, thus, announced the most significant funding package
for the development of cricket in the history of the game.
He hails the move as the biggest investment in global development
by any sport outside football.
“We
want to see results that challenge world cricket’s existing
order. And we want to develop better players and better structures
on and off the field, giving everyone the chance to be the
best they can be,” Lorgat says.
Clearly, the
investment aims at further strengthening the game around the
globe. “Thanks to agreements with our commercial partners,
foremost among them the one we signed in December 2006 with
ESPN Star Sports, the game is financially secure,” says
Lorgat.
“The
promise that brings means we can confirm we are making the
biggest-ever investment in the game from top to bottom over
the next seven years. From 2009, the ICC will pump almost
$300 million into our 94 Associate and Affiliate members that
make up the developing cricket world," he adds.
That’s
at least $40 million per annum, compared to $18 million in
2008, a 120 per cent increase. And it indicates that the revenue
that ICC generates from the events, broadcast and commercial
agreements, will be ploughed back into the game.
A
month ago, Afghanistan and Jersey finished as the top two
sides in the WCL Division 5 event and have progressed to the
Division 4 event in Tanzania, to be held in November. From
there, for the top sides, it’s on to Argentina in January
for Division 3.
The
top two sides from there go forward to the ICC World Cup Qualifier
in the UAE next March and April and the top four sides from
there will go forward to the ICC Cricket World Cup in Asia
in 2011.
Lorgat
took over as ICC CEO on 4 July, replacing Malcolm Speed.
The
ICC now has 104 members, including 34 Associates and 60 Affiliates
as well as the 10 Full Members. Turkey, Estonia and Bulgaria
are the latest to join the ICC family having been granted
Affiliate Member status at the ICC annual conference in Dubai
last week. It was an important week, too, for cricket in Guernsey
as the former Affiliate was upgraded to an Associate Member
after it fulfilled the qualification criteria.
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