'Greed' and loopholes: How cricket's $55 million development fund gets gamed
Summary
The International Cricket Council (ICC) gives about $55 million each year to support cricket development worldwide. However, there are concerns that some cricket officials take advantage of the funding system, which is not closely watched, leading to unfair distribution of money.Key Facts
- The ICC has 12 full member countries and 98 associate member countries.
- Full Members like India and Australia receive 88.8% of the ICC’s budget because they bring more commercial value.
- India alone gets nearly 40% of the ICC’s yearly earnings due to its large broadcast market.
- Associate Members receive the remaining 11.2% of the budget through competition grants and “Scorecard” grants.
- Scorecard grants are based on self-reported data about players, pitches, and outside funding, and this decides how much money each associate member gets.
- The total funding for Associate Members in 2026-27 is about $54.9 million, with Scorecard grants making up just over half.
- Top Associate Members like the UAE and Scotland receive about $1 million each, while the lowest-ranked countries get around $26,000 each.
- Changes in rankings can cause big differences in funding; for example, the Philippines tripled its funding by moving up ten places in rankings.
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