Greenberg Advocates for Meaningful ODIs Amid Revenue Concerns

Todd Greenberg, Chief Executive of Cricket Australia (CA), expressed the need for increased significance in bilateral One Day Internationals (ODIs) during a press briefing in Darwin on Thursday. His comments come as Australia gears up for its first Test match against Bangladesh.

Greenberg acknowledged recent sentiments shared by CA staff member Gupta, who addressed similar concerns regarding the need for games to hold more “jeopardy and meaning.” Greenberg emphasized, “I think the principle of his comments are that the games that are played need to matter and have context and jeopardy.”

However, Greenberg is wary of the revenue implications if bilateral ODIs are excluded from the Future Tours Programme (FTP). He highlighted the financial reality, noting that these matches contribute significantly to broadcast agreements. “We’ve got to find a way if we’re going to create more jeopardy and meaning… what are we replacing them with, and how do you replace the revenues that go with those?” he stated.

The balancing act between creating meaningful contests and maintaining revenue streams presents a complex challenge. Greenberg noted that both short-term and long-term considerations are on the table, reaffirming the importance of context in the games played.

Greenberg is also part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) working group that is finalizing the FTP for the period 2028-31 and is exploring possibilities for 2032-35. “We’ve advocated strongly,” he said, underscoring the necessity to relay feedback about squad sizes and other crucial issues to the ICC.

In a related topic, Greenberg mentioned that CA did not strongly advocate for an increased inclusion of Associate nations in the ODI World Cup, citing criticism of recent format changes as decisions were made with limited consultation. He indicated that CA supports having fewer teams in the ODI World Cup while favoring an expansion of the T20 World Cup to include more Associates.

“Hopefully, there’s a pathway for more Associates to look at the T20 World Cup as opposed to the ODI World Cup,” Greenberg remarked, reflecting on the ICC’s strategy moving forward. “That’s how it was presented to us. We would support that strategy.”

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