Lancashire CEO praises BCCI's commitment to domestic cricket
23 Sep 2024

Daniel Gidney, the CEO of Lancashire Cricket Club, has lauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its dedication to domestic cricket.

He expressed his admiration for BCCI's directive that urges players to participate in domestic tournaments like Ranji and Duleep Trophy when not representing India.

This rule, however, does not apply to senior players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah.

BCCI's stance on domestic cricket gains support
Policy impact

Gidney's praise for the BCCI comes in light of the recent decision by Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan to prioritize the Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic tournaments.

This move resulted in them losing their annual retainership contracts with the BCCI.

Gidney lauded this as "fantastic prioritizing" by the Indian cricket board, emphasizing its commitment to domestic cricket.

Gidney criticizes agents for undermining county cricket
Agent influence

Gidney has criticized agents of English cricketers for their role in undermining the traditional red-ball format.

He believes these agents are a threat to the future of the English County Championship.

"I think the game as a whole needs to come together to find a way to support the championship," he stated during a match between Lancashire and Somerset at Old Trafford.

Gidney suggests financial solutions to preserve county cricket
Financial strategies

To preserve the County Championship, Gidney has proposed financial strategies such as increasing player remuneration and offering more prize money.

He suggested that top domestic salaries could be raised to £200,000, provided players abstain from franchise cricket.

While he supports players earning well from T20 leagues, he believes a balance must be maintained to protect first-class cricket.