Melbourne, Feb 1: Cricket Australia Chairman Wally Edwards has come out in strong support of the BCCI receiving a lion's share of world cricket revenue, saying that India deserves a fair compensation for contributing 80 per cent of the revenue by "hiring out" its team.
Talking about the new revenue distribution model in the controversial ICC revamp plan that would see the BCCI receiving the lion's share, Edwards said people should understand that India will get just 20 per cent of ICC revenue despite contributing 80 per cent of it.
"I think what we have negotiated is more than fair. They (India) are contributing towards 80 per cent of the money and they're taking about 20 per cent for hiring their team for the ICC. They are hiring their team out and people need to understand that is worthy of compensation," he said.
"The reality is everybody -- 106 nations -- gets more money in the new deal. Nobody is going backwards assuming we get the right number when we go to tender, and guess what, if it ends up the same number we've had for the last eight years, India don't get any more money than anyone else. It's not as if we have deserted the rest of them. We want world cricket to thrive, not go backwards," he was quoted as saying in the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
Edwards describes the controversial governance revamp of the ICC proposed by India, England and Australia -- which has also got the backing of the CA Board of Directors -- as "critical for the future of the game".
"These reforms are absolutely critical for the future of the game and I don't just mean Test cricket. We have to get to a point where everybody wants to be part of this and see the game improve. My focus has always been the game, not the money," he said.
"Change is very important. I have worked very hard to make sure we have protected a lot of important things and if people just concentrate on the fact that India get more of the money and Australia gets marginally more than South Africa, and South Africa gets marginally more than Pakistan and New Zealand gets a bit more than Zimbabwe, then so be it," he added.
The newspaper report also said that CA played the role of a broker in trying to heal the rift between India and South Africa which is opposing the ICC revamp plan.
Australia, which is about to embark on a three-Test series against the number one Proteas, have opened talks with Cricket South Africa about tours beyond the next five years, the report said.
It also talked about the scope for an 11th country to play Test cricket, with the winner of the Intercontinental Cup between the top eight Associates possibly playing the lowest-ranked Test country for the right to play Tests.
Meanwhile, a write-up in 'The Australian' mocked at the controversial revamp plan of the ICC proposed by the 'Big Three', saying the the world body should now be re-named IAWS (I Agree With Srini).
"Farewell, then, International Cricket Council, we hardly knew you. And we can hardly claim to mourn when we spent most of our time undermining, flouting and bitching about you. For the new experimental trilateralism that will succeed the old trainwreck multilateralism, a new name is surely necessary," the write-up said.
"Perhaps IAWS: I Agree With Srini. Because there's surely going to be an ongoing competition about who can say that in meetings first."
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