ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):
President of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Dr Kishore Shallow has come to the defence of chief executive officer Chris Dehring, who recently called for a revamp of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) revenue model.
Describing the current model as unfair, Dehring argued that the sport’s governing body should provide greater benefits for smaller cricketing nations such as the West Indies.
His comments came after it was revealed that the West Indies did not receive a share of India’s bilateral broadcast rights revenue from the recently concluded white-ball tour of India, which featured three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).
Under existing bilateral broadcasting arrangements, the board hosting an international series generally retains the revenue generated from broadcast rights.
In an interview with Guardian Media Sports, Shallow said Dehring’s comments had been misconstrued and that he was fully aligned with his colleague’s position.Get Sports Gear
“I suspect it was sort of taken out of context what the CEO (Chris Dehring) said.
“…I think the point that Chris was making, or he tried to make, was by and large an amendment to the commercial model would help smaller members, the likes of Cricket West Indies, New Zealand, and so on,” Shallow said.
“It’s something that I’m sure is topical at the board level of the ICC, and maybe in the coming period, when there’s a discussion around that, who knows, it may be revised.”
Shallow, however, acknowledged that the West Indies benefited financially from the tour of India.
He said sponsorship opportunities were secured during the series, noting that the size and commercial influence of the Indian market had helped CWI attract partners for both the ODI and T20I contests.
“When we host India, this is one of the series that we generate significant revenue from.
“Though we don’t get a share of their broadcast deal, we do benefit from them financially from the tour,” Shallow said.
