AUS vs WI: CWI CEO Johnny Grave Calls Out India, England, Australia To Save Test Cricket From Extinction

Cricket West Indies Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave has called out the cricket boards of the big three – India, England, and Australia – to come together and implement something to save Test cricket from losing its importance and also reduce the chances of players snubbing National duties in order to play franchise leagues around the world for big money deals.

Johnny Grave expressed his tension over the scattered revenue share model of the ICC, which is heavily dominated by the BCCI, England and Wales Cricket Board, and Cricket Australia. He feels that the 3 boards along with the ICC must find a way out to help the cricketing community around the world and help prevent the decline of cricket boards like the West Indies.

He is specifically wanting to do so after many former cricketers around the world claimed that the West Indies and South African cricket board are disrespecting Test cricket by sending weak teams for foreign tours.

While the CSA announced a 3rd string team for the 2-match Test series in New Zealand, the West Indies have sent an inexperienced youthful side for their Test series down under. Johnny Grave also stated that it is high time that the mindset about bilateral series changes for the sake of the sport.

Johnny Grave Feels ICC’s Revenue Share Model Is Broken

“The revenue share model is completely broken. If we operate as a cricketing community we are only as strong as the weakest team and we’ve got to change the mindset of bilateral cricket,” Grave said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

A couple of years ago, Cricket West Indies made an appeal to limit International caps of leagues around the world and revenue share of a few percent to the cricket boards that are sending its players. Although it was approved, it didn’t include the International League T20 in UAE, Major League Cricket in USA, and the GT20 in Canada.

And because of this reason, Johnny Grave believes that players were driven for the quick money and started snubbing national cricket. He claimed that South Africa had to come out with a domestic franchise league of its own, the SA20 in order to gain revenue and help the sport grow in the country.

“If those regulations had been in place, the ILT20 wouldn’t have had much effect on bilateral cricket because it wouldn’t have had as many international players, wouldn’t have got the broadcast revenues and wouldn’t offer the money they are offering,” Grave added.

“Hopefully the South Africa series has woken up the Australian media to the realities of what it’s like to operate Test cricket, and unless the boards change the economic model, I don’t think Test cricket will thrive outside of the Big Three,” Grave said. “I don’t think it will die either. But it could be and should be so much better. If the South Africa situation can restart sensible conversations about how we position Test cricket, we would fully welcome that. To blame South Africa for that would be unfair.”

Johnny Grave Calls Out Steve Waugh And Reveals Cricket Australia Has Never Helped

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh was the most vocal personality who spoke against the rise of franchise cricket and said it was the death of Test cricket after South Africa and West Indies sent weak squads for their Test tours to New Zealand and Australia.

Many former cricketers agreed to that point but not Johnny Grave who has lashed out at Cricket Australia for not helping West Indies cricket make a single penny whereas they have spent over 2 million USD.

“What I would say to Steve Waugh is that CWI has spent $2 million supporting Australian cricket in the last four months and we’ve seen zero dollars back.”

“We’ve got a Test team there, an ODI team and a T20I team, which will cost us another million-plus dollars in terms of match fees and airfares. We spend more on airfares than anyone else in the world, and we don’t have a TV deal in Australia. So the Australian broadcasters who are complaining about the state of the game – what are they doing to support the game in West Indies,” Johnny Grave concluded.