Two-tiered programme mooted with money not Test ranking-taking centre-stage

By S.R. Pathiravithana

Is there a serious effort by the `big` cricketing nations to force a divide? This is the question that is bothering the smaller nations in the ICC.

This is what an article headlined Big four aim to cut out small fry in the Australian newspaper, The Age, says regarding the dispute:

Cricket Australia has reached agreement in-principle to host the game`s biggest drawcard, India, in four out of six summers under the new Future Tours Programme.

The deal is designed to ensure that world cricket`s heavyweights- Australia, India, South Africa and England-play each other more often when the new international schedule comes into effect from 2012.
Australia already visits India, the financial heartland of the modern game, for either Tests or one-day internationals every year, and commences a seven-game ODI series in Vadodara today. .

Under the new arrangement, which is not yet set in stone but has the provisional backing of the International Cricket Council, India would come to Australia almost as often, visiting for Tests one summer and one-dayers the next. South Africa could also divide its Test and limited-overs tours. `The objective has been to spread the quality of touring teams over the period so that we get better value for the fans. If we get it right, we could have India touring here in four out of six years during the next FTP period,` said Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young.

There is an obvious benefit to hosting India more regularly -- the value of television rights to CA when India`s stars are in town exceeds television revenue for an Ashes tour because of the huge, cricket-mad population on the subcontinent.

When inquired from Secretary Sri Lankan Cricket Nishantha Ranatunga about this proposed divide, he said the Lankan board still had not learned of such a move officially or of any papers being forwarded to the ICC with regard to the tiered FTP.

But, if there is such a build-up it is very unfair. I am sure the other nations who are affected by this move will definitely be against it.

They also must remember in spite Sri Lanka playing fewer games than the so-called `big nations` we are now in the second position of Test rankings

The secretary also said, However I must say that Sri Lanka Cricket managed to get a very fair deal in the post-2012 calendar and we will have a lot of cricket during that period .

Even earlier Australian Cricketers Association Chief Tim May went public suggesting that the draw should be divided into two groups with Australia, England, South Africa and India in the top tier and Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Bangladesh in the bottom tier.