BCCI starts big initiative, require finishing touch

Cricket body batting for Tests but will they be able to prioritise WTC final in 2025 - if team qualifies - or will they be found wanting again

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHANB

OVER the last three weeks or so, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made some noises about prioritising domestic red-ball cricket.

They have also, seemingly, demoted a couple of players as they didn't pay heed to their words (the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are without central contracts as things stand).

On Friday, they continued to travel down this road as they further incentivised players who feature in the longest format of the game. Called the "Test Cricket Incentive Scheme', a cricketer's fee could go up as high as 300% per Test if they feature in over 75% of the games played in that season.

"This scheme," the BCCI said in a statement, "is not only designed to encourage players to engage in the purest format of the sport but also addresses the evolving dynamics of the cricketing landscape, ensuring parity with match fees in other formats and league cricket.

This initiative aligns with our vision of promoting Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport." On the face of it, this is a good scheme. Other cricketing boards have seen players shunning Tests for white-ball tournaments.