The World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) has called the global game’s structure and schedule “broken and unsustainable” as it launches a review of its set-up.
Cricket’s global players’ union says there is “no clarity” on the interplay between the international and domestic game.
“To date, the game’s leadership has collectively failed to come together to establish a clear and coherent global structure [for the game’s main three formats]. We have virtually given up hope of it doing so,” WCA chair Heath Mills said.
For its review, the WCA has put together a committee of ex-players and figures from sports broadcasting and governance.
They include Tom Harrison, former chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Sana Mir, who represented Pakistan more than 200 times.
The group’s purpose, working alongside other independent consultants, is to produce a set of recommendations to the WCA Board on a number of key issues concerning the men’s and women’s professional games.
As well as the issue of scheduling, the WCA cites the “growing disparity” between countries in terms of how the game is funded, leaving the “majority of cricketing nations with limited ability to invest in the development of the game”.
Figures released by the Professional Cricketers’ Association earlier this year said 81% of its members believed the current scheduling had a negative effect on physical health, while 62% shared concerns on the mental toll.
It wants the ECB to make changes to the schedule of the game in England.
Former England men’s Test captain Joe Root said in May: “There is a large number of players who don’t think the schedule is conducive to high-level performance.”
An ECB high-performance review in 2022 recommended a cut in the amount of domestic cricket, but the proposals were rejected by counties.