England and Wales Cricket Board has written to ICC officially making it clear that the governing body's proposed plan to include one major world event each year in the next FTP for 2023-31 isn't at all supported.
With the BCCI and Cricket Australia having already expressed their disagreement with the idea, the ECB joined them to make it further difficult to implement the plan that is another step towards revoking the decisions taken under the controversial Big 3 regime in 2014.
"ECB is not in a position to support the current proposal for ICC events from 2023-2031," ECB chairman Colin Graves wrote in an email to ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney, that the PTI is in possession of.
The ICC in its last meeting in Dubai had proposed that in the next FTP cycle for the eight year period between 2023 and 2031, there would be two 50 over World Cups, four T20 World Cup and two more multi-nation tournaments to make it eight events in eight years.
Graves, however, finds it problematic on three fronts; firstly, compromise on full members' own bilateral agreements, second, concern about workload and health of their players, and third being that the extra ICC events would not only dampen the new ODI World Cup qualification structure, including the 13-team Super League, but also take focus away from the inaugural World Test Championship and its final at Lord's in June 2021.
"The impact of the proposed schedule on ICC events on bilateral cricket is a serious concern for the ECB," Graves further wrote in his mail to Sawhney. "The proposed schedule risks compromising the time available and thus value and integrity of the bilateral cricket calendar for all member boards."
"ECB cannot support a schedule where our best players need to play more than they currently do," Graves added. "Players' welfare is primary concern to the ECB and current proposal requires that international players are likely to have fewer days to prepare and rest."
"ECB cannot support a proposal that seeks to play an additional ICC Men's event in a year where the ICC Men's World Test Championship is scheduled as it risks devaluing World Test Championship and future health of Test cricket," he concluded with the third point.
(Inputs from PTI)
