ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta’s Big Call On Bilateral Series: ‘Era Has To End’

ICC
CEO
Sa jog
Gupta
has
called
fo
a
ove haul
of
how
i te atio al
c icket
is
scheduled,
a gui g
that
the
e a
of
” a domly”
a a ged
bilate al
se ies
must
e d
if
the
spo t
wa ts
to
emai
comme cially
sustai able
a d
eleva t
to
fa s.

Gupta
said
c icket
eeds
g eate
co text,
st o ge
competitio
a d
mo e
mea i gful
a atives
a ou d
its
i te atio al
fixtu es.
He
also
backed
the
co ti ued
eleva ce
of
ODI
c icket,
pa ticula ly
th ough
its
co ectio
with
the
me ‘s
a d
wome ‘s
Wo ld
Cups.

‘Ra domly& squo;
Scheduled
Bilate al
Se ies
Need
To
E d

Gupta
said
bilate al
c icket
ca ot
co ti ue
without
a
st o ge
se se
of
pu pose,
poi ti g
to
the
fi a cial
a d
logistical
esou ces
equi ed
to
stage
i te atio al
matches.

“The
e a
of
a domly
scheduled
bilate al
se ies
has
to
come
to
a
e d,
because
cou t ies
will
ot
be
able
to
sustai
c icket
without
co text,
cultu e,
competitio
a d
competitive ess,”
Gupta
told
PTI.

He
said
these
fou
eleme ts
a e
c ucial
to
d ivi g
fa
atte tio
a d
affiliatio ,
addi g
that
ODI
c icket
still
has
the
pote tial
to
g ow
if
its
ole
withi
the
spo t
is
clea ly
defi ed.

“The e
is
a
place
fo
the
fo mat
i
the
p oduct
po tfolio,
which
is
i ext icably
li ked
to
me ‘s
a d
wome ‘s
ICC
C icket
Wo ld
Cups,”
he
said.

Bilate al
se ies
a e
cu e tly
a a ged
by
i dividual
c icket
boa ds,
with
the
ICC
p ima ily
espo sible
fo
global
multi- atio
tou ame ts
such
as
the
Wo ld
Cups
a d
the
Wo ld
Test
Champio ship.

ICC
CEO
Backs
ODIs
Despite
T20& squo;s
G owi g
Domi a ce

The
futu e
of
50-ove
c icket
has
i c easi gly
come
u de
sc uti y
as
T20
leagues
co ti ue
to
expa d
globally.

Gupta,
howeve ,
believes
ODIs
ca
still
th ive
if
the
fo mat
develops
a
clea e
ide tity
a d
emai s
closely
co ected
to
the
Wo ld
Cup
cycle.

PTI
also
u de sta ds
that
discussio s
have
take
place
withi
the
ICC
about
c eati g
a
dedicated
wi dow
fo
ODI
c icket
ahead
of
Wo ld
Cup
editio s.

The
ICC
CEO
st essed
that
the
gove i g
body’s
focus
o
T20
as
its
mai
g owth
vehicle
does
ot
mea
Test
a d
ODI
c icket
will
be
eglected.

“Ou
p ima y
tool
of
global
g owth
is
T20
c icket,
but
that
does
ot
mea
we
do ‘t
focus
o
g owi g
the
value
o
e gageme t
a ou d
ODIs
o
Test
c icket,”
Gupta
said.

‘If
You
A e
Not
G owi g,
You
A e
Dyi g& squo;

Gupta
also
a gued
that
c icket
ca ot
ely
solely
o
its
t aditio al
p estige
a d
histo y
to
att act
ewe
audie ces.

“Ou
ambitio
has
to
be
g owth;
ou
ambitio
should
eve
be
to
mai tai
the
status
quo.
Because
i
this
wo ld,
whe e
populatio
is
g owi g,
atte tio
is
getti g
disagg egated
a d
affiliatio
is
ha d
to
sustai ,
if
you’ e
ot
g owi g,
you’ e
dyi g,”
he
said.

He
poi ted
to
Wimbledo
a d
golf’s
Maste s
Tou ame t
as
examples
of
established
spo ti g
eve ts
that
have
co ti ued
to
ei ve t
themselves
while
etai i g
thei
p estige.

Acco di g
to
Gupta,
c icket
eeds
to
take
a
simila
app oach
to
its
majo
fo mats
a d
competitio s.

Test
C icket
Needs
Bette
Scheduli g
A d
Ma keti g

Gupta
ack owledged
that
Test
c icket
co ti ues
to
ca y
sig ifica t
p estige,
legacy
a d
spo ti g
value.
Howeve ,
he
a gued
that
those
qualities
eed
to
be
matched
by
st o ge
comme cial
pla i g
a d
a
bette
expe ie ce
fo
mode
audie ces.

The
Wo ld
Test
Champio ship
has
al eady
give
Test
c icket
additio al
co text
by
c eati g
a
lo ge -te m
competitive
a ative,
but
Gupta
believes
mo e
ca
be
do e.

He
called
fo
Test
matches
outside
the
t aditio al
powe houses
of
I dia,
E gla d
a d
Aust alia
to
be
scheduled
mo e
st ategically,
with
g eate
ma keti g
a d
p omotio al
suppo t.

Test
c icket,
he
said,
eeds
optimal
scheduli g,
competitive
match-ups,
suitable
playi g
co ditio s
a d
st o ge
effo ts
to
tu
i dividual
fixtu es
i to
majo
occasio s
fo
fa s.

The
b oade
message
f om
the
ICC
chief
is
clea :
i te atio al
c icket’s
futu e
may
depe d
less
o
simply
playi g
mo e
matches
a d
mo e
o
givi g
those
matches
a
easo
fo
fa s
to
ca e.

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