'12-team WTC Nearing Reality', Says CA CEO Todd Greenberg

12-team WTC nearing reality, says CA CEO Todd Greenberg (South Africa Win WTC Final 2025)

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg:  Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has said that expanding the World Test Championship (WTC) to a 12-team model is nearing reality, even as he reiterated that financial pressures will eventually force smaller boards to make ‘hard decisions’ regarding their participation in red-ball cricket.

As per a report in Cricinfo, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and member boards are currently in the final stages of finalising the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) alongside discussions on the future structure of the WTC.

The proposed 12-team framework, expected to take effect from the 2029-31 cycle, could incorporate one-off Tests to accommodate full members like Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan.

A final decision on the proposal is anticipated during the ICC meetings in Bali on November 13-15. "I think that's what will happen for the next two years. I think for the next iteration (of the WTC), I can understand why it is that number because they want to give every Test nation the opportunity.

"But, ultimately, countries are going to have to make hard decisions themselves because if revenues don't continue to come in from the ICC at the levels that we've enjoyed, or they can't generate their own FTP arrangements, then ultimately any business, ours is the same, you can't continue to distribute more than you earn every year. That's where global cricket finds itself in some parts," Greenberg told reporters in Durban ahead of Australia's opening Test against South Africa starting on Friday.

Highlighting the financial strain associated with being in red-ball cricket, Greenberg stated that maintaining a sustainable domestic and high-performance ecosystem for Test cricket poses a steep hurdle for several boards.

"When I say it's expensive, don't take that comment as being (about) putting on Test matches. It's the ability to invest in your system to create a structure for red-ball cricketers. You can't just magically find 11 players to play Test cricket.

"I think there is a world where there will be member nations who don't play Test cricket, or they might have to play more away Test cricket than they do at home in order to keep Test cricket in their country [alive] and keep playing that format. I think we've got to think about it differently. This whole reciprocal nature is potentially sending some countries broke," he added.

Greenberg also revealed CA’s keenness to extend its Test series against South Africa into five-match affairs, though scheduling overlaps during peak domestic summer windows remain a major logistical hurdle.

"We would love to host South Africa for a five-Test series. (But) there's a real challenge in that between our organisations because they play in a similar period of the year. I can understand that. It would be like asking us, can we come and play in South Africa during December and January. You know our answer would be 'no, we can't, because we're protecting our own windows.

"So that's why it's difficult. But we're in constant conversations with them. I'll have conversations while I'm here with them. I think South Africa are a really strong Test-playing country despite their commercial and financial challenges. We'd like to see them continue to play Test cricket. We'd love to host them," he added.

Turning his focus to ODI cricket amid global discussions on introducing multilateral events to provide greater context, Greenberg called for structural adjustments across four-year cycles. "The challenge is how do you do that and still ensure that the commercial returns inside your FTP agreements are retained. I think we've got some work to do on that.

“There might be a cycle of four years where we play slightly fewer ODIs, more coming into a World Cup cycle and maybe less in the outer years. I don't think it stops in the outer years, though. It might be a sort of up-and-down system between T20 and ODI cricket.

Turning his focus to ODI cricket amid global discussions on introducing multilateral events to provide greater context, Greenberg called for structural adjustments across four-year cycles. "The challenge is how do you do that and still ensure that the commercial returns inside your FTP agreements are retained. I think we've got some work to do on that.

Article Source: IANS