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“Test Cricket Making Countries Bankrupt”: CA Chief Makes Bold Claim Before Ashes

Aakash Saini

Cricket CEO makes a big claim on Test cricket [Source: @ZimCricketv/x.com]Cricket CEO makes a big claim on Test cricket [Source: @ZimCricketv/x.com]

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has called for a reduction in Test cricket. The cricket administrator believes that the format could become a loss-making undertaking for cricket boards of certain Test-playing nations.

It is worth noting that Greenberg took over as CA CEO in March earlier this year, replacing Nick Hockley in the process.

CA CEO Wants To Make Test Cricket “Mean Something”

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has stated that not every Test-playing nation in the world can aspire to play excessive Test cricket at the moment. He added that top cricket boards as well as the ICC should not force anyone to play frequent Tests, as it can put them at the risk of going “bankrupt”.

While speaking with the reporters on Wednesday, August 13; marking 100 days before the 2025 Ashes in Australia, Greenberg said:

“I don’t think everyone in world cricket needs to aspire to play Test cricket, and that might be OK. We’re literally trying to send countries bankrupt if we force them to try to play Test cricket.”

Todd Greenberg further emphasized the importance of quality over quantity, claiming that boards need to invest accordingly in Test cricket so as to make every series meaningful. He added:

“Scarcity in Test cricket is our friend, not our foe. We need to make sure we invest in the right spaces to play Test cricket where it means something and has jeopardy.”

Compatible to Todd Greenberg’s indirect call of incentivizing Test cricket, the ICC has already put a two-year ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in place. While nearly every series these days constitutes a part of the WTC cycle, occasional rubbers like New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe last month are still played outside the championship framework, raising questions about their financial viability and competitive significance.

The Ashes 2025 later this year is expected to sustain the newfound red-ball hype for all cricketing purists across the world, especially after India’s challenging tour of England. The first Test of the series will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth in late-November.