Cricket provided a glimpse into its future during the pivotal year of 2023, but Australia continues to dominate the sport in the present, having won the test and 50-overs world titles under the inspiring leadership of Pat Cummins.
Following two years of vigorous advocacy, cricket was granted the endorsement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Prior to this, cricket had not been showcased at the largest sporting event of the world’s largest gathering in 1900.
This year, the sport also tested the waters of a potentially profitable new market in the United States through Major League Cricket (MLC).
MLC, which is supported by the Indian American CEOs of Adobe and Microsoft, aims to incorporate cricket into a sports landscape dominated by American football, basketball, and baseball.
In addition to propelling the global expansion of the sport, franchise cricket has the potential to replace national boards as the predominant employer of players.
Eight out of ten Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise proprietors also possess a minimum of one team participating in a different international competition.
New Twenty20 tournaments have teams acquired by the proprietors of the Mumbai and Delhi franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL), South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
National boards have responded to the expanding franchise cricket footprint by implementing measures such as increasing pay in Australia and instituting multi-year contracts in England, with the intention of maintaining authority over the scheduling and location of player appearances.
Neil Maxwell, the preeminent player agent in Australia, expressed to Reuters earlier this year his belief that the existing contract system lacked long-term viability and that cricket was progressively resembling football.
“Akin to the EPL system, where playing for the club is the foremost priority,” he said in reference to the English Premier League, “the landscape is shifting.”
The IPL, which is already flush with cash, could receive an enormous financial boost if Saudi Arabia purchases a stake for billions of dollars, according to reports.
More players might be enticed to forego national contracts in favor of lucrative tenure in the IPL and other global competitions should the Saudis, who are flush with capital, enter the fray. This would pave the way for club versus country confrontations.
Participation in foreign competitions is strictly prohibited for all Indian athletes, including those without central contracts, by the influential BCCI.
However, despite the IPL’s reluctance to provoke the BCCI, it is not implausible that the two organizations will dispute player contracts in the near future.
Although those are distinct indications of future developments, it is evident that Australia is firmly rooted in the present.
Australia defeated India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval just five months later, and in Ahmedabad, they defeated Rohit Sharma’s squad once more to extend their record with a sixth ODI World Cup title.
As the colossal Narendra Modi Stadium, filled with 93,000 predominantly Indian spectators, dejectedly awaited the conclusion of Australia’s astounding title decider, which halted the host’s unbeaten run.
If Australia were to maintain a successful campaign in the Twenty20 editions in the United States and the West Indies the following year, they would become the first team to simultaneously hold all three World Cup titles.