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The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) World Cricket Committee recommended scheduling a minimum of three Test matches in the men’s Test series from 2028. The suggestion came during the meeting of the custodians of laws of the game in Cape Town recently on the sidelines of SA20. The committee headed by former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara realised the importance of series deciders after the recent clashes between Australia and West Indies as well as South Africa and India ended in a draw.
Apart from that Kumar Sangakkara pointed out the inequality among ICC members and mentioned that it is important that the game is taken to uncharted authorities. The MCC released a statement and said, "In support of the thrilling Test cricket currently being played and the importance of sustaining the traditional format of the game, the WCC recommends men’s Test series be played across a minimum of three matches from the next ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) from 2028 onwards.”
The game owes a debt of gratitude to India: Marylebone Cricket Club
The MCC also acknowledged India’s contribution to the overall development of the game. Over the years, the IPL has grown massively, which has expanded the game’s growth to several corners of the world. It has inspired other nations to take measures to ensure the growth of cricket in their country. The statement further read, “The game owes a debt of gratitude to India, with its insatiable thirst for cricket driving the wealth in the global game. However, this reliance upon India belies the fact that the game needs to identify new markets to ensure its global growth, at a time when media rights beyond the current cycle are by no means guaranteed.”
It highlighted the hosting of the ICC T20I World Cup 2024 in the USA, in order to accelerate the growth market in the country. As per the statement, “With this uncertainty identified and on the back of the momentum built through this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean and the build-up to the 2028 Olympics in the USA, the acceleration of the USA as a growth market for cricket would seem a natural consideration.”
