Top-tier athletes should consider salary reductions to preserve the traditional format of cricket in Tests, according to Pat Cummins.
Australia's cricket captain, Pat Cummins, has proposed a bold move to save Test cricket: leading international players should take a pay cut to funnel more funds to smaller nations. Cummins argues that this financial sacrifice would help smaller nations remain competitive in Test cricket.
Currently, the Big Three – India, England, and Australia – receive more than half of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) central funding. In reality, it's more like a Big One, with India receiving a substantial $230m portion of the ICC's $600m annual revenue distribution. England and Cricket Australia receive comparably smaller amounts, while New Zealand, West Indies, and South Africa get less than $30m.
The funding disparity affects the number of Tests played by each country: England played 17 Tests last year compared to just nine by West Indies and Sri Lanka, and seven by Pakistan. South Africa, despite qualifying for the World Test Championship final, has scheduled no home Tests until October 2026, a staggering 21 months gap.
Cummins believes that redistributing funding to smaller countries could make a significant difference, with top players reportedly open to making personal financial sacrifices. He made these comments in a new book, Test Cricket: A History, published last week.
The Oversight
Cummins' intervention comes as criticism mounts against the ICC, led by former Indian cricket chief Jay Shah, for poor governance. In his editor's notes in the 2025 edition of Wisden, which was also published last week, Lawrence Booth criticized the ICC for creating a World Test Championship he described as "a shambles masquerading as a showpiece."
The Marylebone Cricket Club also has concerns about the game's governance and has created an annual conference, World Cricket Connects, to discuss potential solutions and will be held at Lord's for the second time in June.
An olive branch has been offered to the ICC with Shah being offered a seat on the WCC Advisory Board. The board features former and current players including Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Smith, and Heather Knight.
The Discontent
Cummins is not the only one unhappy with the status quo. The international players' union has also been vocal. In March, the World Cricketers Association published its Global Game Structure Report for 2025, which included a critique of the ICC.
The report found a 10% drop in the number of men's Test matches played in 2017-19 to 2021-23, a 13% fall in one-day internationals, but an 87% increase in international T20s. An anonymous survey of leading players also revealed that 60% of them would consider withdrawing from international commitments to play in franchise tournaments.
Potential Solutions
Among numerous potential solutions put forward by the World Cricketers' Association were reducing India's share of ICC revenue, establishing a Global Game Leadership Committee, and a radical move to two-division international cricket across all formats with provision for promotion and relegation provision.
While specific solutions for reallocating ICC funding have not been proposed, discussions around cricket funding often focus on ensuring equitable distribution of resources to support the development and sustainability of the game in smaller nations. This might include implementing targeted development programs, encouraging sponsorship and partnership development, and reforming governance structures to give smaller nations a louder voice.
The aim is to enhance the competitiveness and appeal of cricket globally by ensuring all participating nations have viable resources.
- Pat Cummins, Australia's cricket captain, has suggested that top international players could invest in sports philanthropy by taking a pay cut, using the savings to fund smaller cricket nations, thus potentially increasing their competitiveness in Test cricket.
- With criticism mounting over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) governance and distribution of funds, as well as a decline in Test matches and an increase in T20s, the World Cricketers' Association has recommended potential solutions that emphasize equitable distribution of resources, including reducing India's share of ICC revenue, establishing a Global Game Leadership Committee, and even the radical move to a two-division international cricket system.
