‘India earns millions, West Indies gets nothing

Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Chris Dehring has blamed a 1997 ICC financial model for the decline of West Indies cricket, saying the team earns nothing from bilateral series hosted by India.

Speaking to Anjali Doshi on *The Scoop*, Dehring said India could earn $20-30 million from a series while West Indies receives no share of the revenue.

He said nine of the 10 ICC member nations voted in favour of a model allowing host countries to retain all broadcast revenue from bilateral series. Dehring, who attended the vote, said he was the only one to oppose the proposal.

Under the previous system, touring teams received a share of the revenue. Dehring argued that the change deprived West Indies of a major source of income and favoured countries with larger populations and markets.

West Indies cricket has faced growing financial difficulties, recently cutting international players’ pay by 25% and reducing domestic players’ contracts from 12 months to seven months. Players are also increasingly drawn to franchise cricket, sometimes missing international series.

West Indies are tied 2-2 with India in their ongoing T20 series, with the fifth and final match scheduled for Saturday.

Dehring described the 1997 decision as unfair, saying it effectively set West Indies cricket on a path of decline by taking away one of its main revenue sources.

-AJM