Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has sounded the alarm over a move by cricket’s so-called “Big Three” – India, England, and Australia – to reshape the Test cricket landscape. He decried the proposal to split Test cricket into two tiers, a scheme that would prioritize games among the Big Three while sidelining other nations, leaving them to fight for scraps.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the heads of the Australian, English and Indian cricket boards are set to huddle with ICC officials later this month. The agenda? A plan to ensure these three powerhouses play each other twice every three years, a significant step up from the current schedule of twice every four years. The ripple effect? Fewer opportunities for other cricket-playing nations to face the game’s heavyweights.
I understand the economics. Such a move will certainly line the pockets of the three boards, but sport isn’t just about Pounds, Dollars and Rupees. Administrators have a duty to nurture and protect the game, not just fatten their coffers.
Ranatunga pointed to the rise of talents like West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph, who bowled his heart out at the Gabba last year to help his team pull off an improbable victory.
It’s tough as nails to beat the Aussies at the Gabba, but this bloke was sensational. I’m sure even Australian fans appreciated that display of raw talent. Why would you want to deny players like him a chance by excluding other nations?
He didn’t mince his words, taking a swipe at the corporate-minded approach that seems to have infiltrated the sport.
To run cricket, you don’t necessarily have to be a former player, but you do need to understand the spirit of the game – its values and its rich history. Unfortunately, when corporates run the show, everything is reduced to numbers and bottom lines.
He called for India, as the global leader of cricket, to take a more inclusive approach.
India has always been at the forefront of shaping world cricket. Leaders like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar had Indian interests at heart, but they also understood the broader picture. That’s the kind of vision we need from India today – not this inward, self-serving approach.
Ranatunga also criticized the unchecked dominance of the Big Three, which he believes has derailed the sport’s balance.
The Big Three takeover of cricket was a terrible idea from the start. Everyone knew it was bad, yet it was endorsed overwhelmingly. Where are the checks and balances? Why is the MCC so silent about how the game is being run?
His concerns didn’t end there. He warned of the growing tide of franchise cricket, which he described as a mushrooming phenomenon threatening the sport’s very fabric.
Franchise cricket is spreading like wildfire. If this continues unchecked, players will pledge their loyalty to franchises, not their national teams. Look at football – it’s become a club-based game, with players coming together to represent their countries only once every four years at the World Cup. I fear cricket could be heading down that road.
It will be a sad day if international cricket is reduced to a mere sideshow, with its fate dictated by franchise windows.
