Test Cricket Under Pressure at the ICC AGM 2025
If you care about Test cricket, you’ve probably noticed the writing on the wall. More franchise leagues, packed T20 schedules, and broadcasting deals everywhere. At the International Cricket Council’s 2025 Annual General Meeting in Singapore, the fate of the oldest format in the game was front and center. The ICC knows traditional cricket’s future looks shaky without big changes.
This year, a special committee with heavy hitters—officials from India, England, Australia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia—has been assembled. Their mission? Figure out how to keep Test cricket alive when players are getting snagged by franchise leagues left and right. They’ll be crunching numbers, talking about financial stability, and—maybe the hardest job—trying to ease the workload for top international stars so that Tests don’t get lost in the shuffle.
Test cricket makes up the heart of the sport, but without more money on the table and some scheduling magic, it could disappear from certain countries. The committee’s work will focus on fairness, funding, and making sure nobody gets left out—least of all, fans who see Test matches as the real deal.
Expanding T20 and Spotlight on USA Cricket
The ICC’s expanding its focus on T20 cricket too. With the format’s booming popularity, talks to grow the T20 World Cup are heating up. More teams, more matches, more TV time—this isn’t about just squeezing extra games in, but about reaching new cricket audiences worldwide. No final details were locked in, but expect bigger things coming.
But not everything in cricket is about what happens on the field. USA Cricket is under serious scrutiny. The ICC didn’t mince words: USA Cricket’s leadership needs to fix its governance problems, and soon. With only three months to organize truly fair board elections, the clock is ticking. If they don’t deliver, the ICC has warned of real consequences. After repeated scandals and infighting in USA Cricket, this feels like a do-or-die moment for the game in America.
Hosting rights for the ICC World Test Championship Finals through 2031 went to England—no shock there, since English grounds know how to handle the pressure and put on a show. The England and Wales Cricket Board pulled off past championships without a hitch, so they’re getting another three editions lined up.
Meanwhile, there’s fresh optimism for Afghan women cricketers. The ICC, plus the cricket boards of India, England, and Australia, are organizing special support and high-performance opportunities. Women’s World Cup 2025 in India and the T20 World Cup 2026 in England are now closer possibilities for Afghan players facing big challenges back home.
Over in Dhaka, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had its own AGM. Hot topics included the still-undecided 2025 Asia Cup—ACC president Mohsin Naqvi is talking with the BCCI, trying to keep politics out of the mix. No decisions yet, but there’s hope the event won’t get caught up by off-field drama.
On the administrative front, a new batch of leaders joined the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee. Gurumurthy Palani (France), Anuraag Bhatnagar (Hong Kong, China), and Gurdeep Klair (Canada) will now represent Associate Members, hinting that cricket’s growth isn’t just happening in familiar hotspots.
The ICC AGM 2025 wasn’t just another boring board meeting. It highlighted that cricket is at a crossroads—juggling old traditions, the exploding T20 revolution, tricky governance, and a truly global future.
August 3 2025 0
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