Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring has questioned the financial structure of international cricket, revealing that the Caribbean board receives no share of broadcasting revenue from its ongoing tour of India, despite the series having the potential to generate between US$20 million and US$30 million.
His criticism comes as CWI confronts an annual funding shortfall of between US$20 million and US$25 million, forcing reductions in player payments and changes to domestic cricket operations. Dehring has linked the board’s longstanding financial difficulties to a decision taken by ICC member countries in 1997 that fundamentally changed how bilateral cricket revenues are distributed.
West Indies receive no broadcast revenue from India tour
West Indies’ current visit to India has brought renewed attention to the financial relationship between host and touring nations. The T20I series stood level at 2-2 following Shai Hope’s century in the fourth match in Hyderabad, with the commercial arrangements surrounding the tour becoming a subject of scrutiny.
Speaking on Wisden’s The Scoop podcast, Dehring stated: “West Indies cricket receives nothing in this case, because the series is being played in India.”
Under the existing bilateral model, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) retains the broadcasting revenue generated from matches hosted in India, while CWI receives no share of those rights payments.
Dehring added: “A series that could generate $20 million to $30 million in India brings West Indies cricket no revenue.”
The arrangement is particularly consequential for a board responsible for administering cricket across multiple Caribbean territories, where the commercial scale of domestic broadcasting differs considerably from India’s market.
CWI faces major funding shortfall and player payment cuts
The financial pressures facing West Indies cricket extend beyond the immediate tour, with CWI requiring an additional US$20 million to US$25 million annually to fund its full programme of competitions and development activities.
The board has moved to reduce international player retainer fees by 25%, with players expected to accept or reject the revised arrangements following the conclusion of the India tour.
Domestic players have also been affected, with retainer contracts reduced to seven months and domestic competitions suspended as CWI attempts to manage its financial constraints.
These measures reflect the immediate challenges confronting the Caribbean organisation, while Dehring’s criticism focuses on the historical changes that altered one of West Indies cricket’s former sources of income.
How the ICC changed cricket’s revenue model
Before 1997, host countries paid touring fees to visiting teams, providing a guaranteed financial return for participating in overseas bilateral series.
West Indies benefited considerably from that arrangement during a period when its international reputation made it a highly sought-after touring opponent. The income earned from visiting other countries could exceed what the Caribbean board generated from staging its own international fixtures.
Dehring introduced the history of the arrangement: “To understand how this happened, you have to go back to 1997.”
Having witnessed the ICC’s deliberations, he recalled the circumstances in which member countries decided to replace the existing financial framework.
Dehring explained: “I was fortunate, or unfortunate, to be around when the ICC member countries voted to change the financial model that underpinned world cricket. Until then, West Indies was a very attractive team, and everybody wanted us to tour. We would receive a touring fee, which was often worth more than we could earn by hosting a series in the Caribbean.”
The decision established a system under which host boards could retain all broadcasting revenue from their domestic bilateral matches, rather than sharing a portion with visiting teams.
Recalling the thinking behind the change, Dehring said: “But all the countries recognized where television rights were going. And they decided, well, we don’t want to pay anybody our domestic television rights. So that’s fine.”
The earlier touring payments had provided West Indies with financial resources that were not dependent on the relatively small broadcasting markets of its home territories.
Dehring noted: “And that revenue helped to sustain West Indies cricket.”
India’s broadcasting market highlights financial disparity
The consequences of the revised model differ substantially between cricket boards because of the size and commercial value of their respective home markets.
India benefits from a vast domestic audience, while West Indies cricket operates across a collection of Caribbean nations and territories with much smaller populations.
Dehring illustrated the contrast: “That meant India could retain the revenues generated by a population of one and a half billion people, while West Indies could retain whatever revenues we could generate in Antigua, with its population of around 100,000, or St Kitts, with around 30,000.”
For CWI, the difference in market size limits the broadcasting income available from home series, even as its international team continues to participate in fixtures hosted by countries with significantly larger media markets.
Dehring recalls West Indies’ opposition to ICC vote
The financial restructuring was approved by nine of the ten ICC member countries involved in the 1997 vote, with West Indies the sole dissenting member.
Dehring, who was present during the decision-making process, has remained critical of the outcome and its consequences for Caribbean cricket.
He stated: “It was palpably unfair. We were outvoted nine to one by the ICC member countries. At the time, I said that this decision had effectively signed the demise of West Indies cricket because it took away our main source of income.”
The framework established by that vote continues to govern the allocation of bilateral broadcasting revenues, making the 1997 decision central to Dehring’s concerns about the financial sustainability of West Indies cricket.
Financial decisions await conclusion of India tour
CWI’s immediate priority includes resolving the revised international player retainer arrangements, with affected cricketers expected to respond to the proposed 25% reductions after the India series.
The board is also managing the consequences of shorter domestic contracts and suspended competitions while facing the annual funding gap required to maintain its wider cricket programmes.
Dehring’s intervention has placed the bilateral revenue system at the centre of the discussion surrounding those challenges, with the ongoing India tour providing a current example of the financial arrangements he has criticised.
