As the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies drew to a close, two of the most senior functionaries of the International Cricket Council (ICC), who were entrusted with the major responsibility of arranging the tour, resigned.
Event organized by the ICC, namely Chris Tetley as the Head of Events and Claire Furlong, the General Manager of Marketing and Communications, left the organization before the ICC annual conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where the ill-managed event that was expected to be a major topic of discussion was poorly handled.
As reported by Cricbuzz sources, the top officials in the ICC have been vacant for many months, and resignations in these posts have nothing to do with the situation after the T20 World Cup 2024, but these top posts were vacated at the end of the latest commercial cycle several months before.
Tetley and Furlong stayed as directors for the company to manage the T20 World Cup in the United States and to ensure a smooth succession. They are expected to attend the annual conference next week, starting from July 19th through July 22nd.
Financial Concerns and Operational Issues In ICC
For the tournament, CricketNext has some concerns over the competence of financial management during the tournament, which was held in the United States. There has been plenty of controversy relating to the cost that has been incurred during the event by the ICC.
Further, the measures taken to address the ticket pricing issue, particularly the increase in ticket prices to cover budgets, have also raised eyebrows. An experienced official from USA Cricket associated it with the lack of a systematic approach, noting that event planning overemphasized product promotion spending and subsequent minimal attendance.
These promotions, geared towards marketing the tournament and improving the experience, did not bring the expected results, its worth, or profitability into question. The official stated that while there was no proper strategic plan allotted for its financial aspect, a lot of money was wasted.
This further implies that the non-implementation of the financial management plan distorted the financial objectives of the event and failed to optimize the usage of resources, hence distorting the economic significance of the event.
Difficulties in Venue Selection
The decision to organize the event in New York was to present powerful cricket but met with problems concerning pitch preparation, which did not suit either batsmen or bowlers. While the venue had the advantage of hosting eight out of sixteen matches, players’ and critics’ reviews were rather ambiguous.
Some past cricketers raised the concern that the use of drop-in pitches is not good for the game as the wickets do not provide equal and healthy conditions to play competitive cricket.
After the group stage was over, the temporary structure at Nassau County Stadium in New York, constructed by T20 World Cup Inc., was demolished. The concept of modular structures was put into operation when building the stadiums that were constructed within the frameworks of the event, setting a record for such construction.
At the same time, the concept of an international cricket tournament conducted in nonconventional structures served as an example of the main challenges arising in the process of implementing such an event. Therefore, cricket’s governing body had to face a lot of criticism. Although the intention was to promote the sport, it somehow backfired.
Also Read: Hassan Ali Defends Babar Azam Amid Criticism Over World Cup Performances
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