Mark Butcher demands action from ICC, pushes for fair revenue sharing among boards to save Test cricket

Mark Butcher, the former England cricketer has asked the ICC to step in and save Test cricket outside the big three. India, England, and Australia are the only three teams that play Test cricketer regularly. Currently, England are playing a Test series at home against the Windies and the second Test starts on July 18 at Trent Bridge.

The cricket played is competitive between the three teams. On the other hand, the rest of the top Test-playing teams do not play too much Test cricket against each other. Butcher feels that Test cricket outside the "Big 3" is losing its relevance.

In a recent conversation with Wisden, Butcher spoke about how Test cricket is losing its relevance in West Indies as well. The country is now producing T20 specialists who are playing across T20 leagues all over the globe. Butcher's concerns were raised after the visitors were bowled out twice in the first Test inside three days and lost the first Test by a innings and 114 runs.

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Mark Butcher emphasized the importance of warm-up matches and asked the richer boards to bear the cost of these arrangements. Earlier this year England too skipped playing any warm-up matches in India and instead were part of a camp to acclimatize to the conditions. As it turned out, England lost the series 4-1.

Mark Butcher Bats For Warm-Up Games Ahead Of Test Series

"One warm-up match – regardless of whether or not you've been playing or whether you haven't been playing any red-ball cricket, even if you come into it off the back of a West Indies first-class summer – one touring match in English conditions is just simply not enough. Let alone the fact that you've got batters making debuts, guys who haven't played a lot of first-class cricket, let alone Test cricket," said Butcher on Wisden Weekly Cricket Podcast.

Butcher further asked teams like India, England, and Australia to share their revenue within the board to make this happen. He said that with all the expense borne by the home boards in modern Test cricket if they can arrange for warm-up games that will even up the contest.

"At least the ones who don't have the finances, and that is simply because of the cost. He said that, back in the old days, I can't remember how long ago this was now but back when I started playing Test matches, there was a revenue-sharing agreement in terms of television money whereby the touring team would pick up a percentage of what was made throughout the course of the series. That would either cover the cost or give them [the touring side] a bit of a buffer once their costs were paid for.

"But now, nothing goes to the touring team. So the cost borne by flying your team over, putting them up for however long it might be – it might be a month, it might three weeks – is all borne by the home board.

"We know that times are tough everywhere but England, India and Australia. So there are reasons behind it and I hope it didn't come across that I mean the players don't want to come away on tour anymore, there might be a bit of that I don't know, but more likely it's that the boards simply cannot afford for their side to be away for six to eight weeks and be ready to be much more competitive," Butcher said further.

The former England cricketer further said that Test cricket needs to be watchable for the fans to make it relevant. It needs to be made more competitive and the means need to be found out.

"There needs to be an agreement – and it's for the good of the game as a whole – the more competitive it is the more watchable the game becomes, as it's always been. It's always incumbent on the people who have more to give a leg up to the people who have less."

He concluded his point by also speaking about the home advantage perspective in Test cricket. He said that teams need other teams to play against them and even if it means some help from the other teams and boards they should be open to doing that.

"You cannot have a situation where you end up being the only show in town. You need people to play against and in order to have people to play against they need to be able to keep their heads above water. Sometimes that means they need a bit of help from someone else," concluded Butcher.

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