The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive, Richard Gould, believes the upcoming India–England Test series will carry significant financial importance for the ECB. He also noted that the 2024 season didn’t unfold as the board had initially expected.
“We know how big it is. It’s a huge summer. Last summer, there were all sorts of things happening all over the place, weren’t there? I think that is one of the great things about a five-Test series: it’s a proper long read; it’s something that people can really get into. There will be subplots and sub-subplots. There will be all sorts of issues over that six-week period,” Gould said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
He added that five-match Test series have contributed to the resurgence of Test cricket.
“Certainly, in terms of commercial importance. There’s been lots of discussion about short formats, but Test cricket is undergoing something of a resurgence in its own way. Particularly with the five-Test series, we’re seeing more of those than we have done for a long time,” he added.
“Irrespective of who reaches the final, we’ll sell it out” – Gould
Gould believes that marquee Test series such as England vs India and the Ashes are just as important as the World Test Championship (WTC). Regarding England’s role as host of every WTC Final so far, he clarified that while it isn’t something they are entitled to by default, England’s strong ticket sales and consistent crowd-pulling power make them a natural choice for such high-profile matches.
“The WTC, for us, is not the be-all and end-all, because we also enjoy the Ashes, and we will enjoy the India series. We don’t believe we have any automatic right to host the WTC Final continually, but there are advantages to having it here. Irrespective of who reaches the final, we’ll sell it out… We’re probably the only ICC member nation that could guarantee that,” Gould said.
“We recognise that others may wish to take it around the world at some point… But the concern is, if you move it, end up with two neutral teams, and don’t attract a crowd, the whole thing could lose its value and momentum quite quickly,” he concluded.
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