Getty Images A picture of Don Bradman, complete with the Australian’s colossal Test batting average of 99.94, hangs proudly behind Geoff Allardice when he dials in to speak with SportsPro.
While it would be tempting to spend the next hour reminiscing about the greats of the game’s past, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) chief executive is busy looking to the future.
It is almost a year since Allardice was appointed to the top commercial role at cricket’s global governing body on a permanent basis, following an eight-month stint in an interim capacity.
A former first-class cricketer from Australia, the 55-year-old initially stepped in when his predecessor Manu Sawhney was suspended in March 2021 following a review into his management style.
After a subsequent disciplinary hearing, Sawhney left the ICC in July last year , claiming he was the victim of a “premediated witch hunt”.
It was hardly the happiest set of circumstances that led to Allardice landing the job.
Nevertheless, he has had little time to dwell on the fallout, with the last 12 months headlined by various significant deals and developments for the ICC.
In a broad interview on the SportsPro Podcast , Allardice discusses everything from the importance of the Twenty20 (T20) format in emerging markets and the growth of women’s cricket, to the ICC’s new Disney Star media rights contract and managing an ever-expanding schedule.
The ICC believes T20 is key to establishing cricket in new markets and engaging younger fans A big focus for Allardice has been the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, which got underway on 16 th October and runs until 13 th November.
When asked what success will look like for the tournament, he points to “good crowds, close competitive cricket [and] engaged fans around the world”. “One of the things about playing in Australia [is] the promotion of the event is very strong,” Allardice continues. “They embrace world events and normally, from a fan point of view, they’re very well organised.” Though it remains a sometimes polarising format, particularly among cricket’s traditionalists, the ICC is doubling down on T20, deeming it the best way to get into new markets and reach younger audiences.
It also offers emerging nations more opportunities on the international stage, which will be further helped by the fact the Men’s T20 World Cup is expanding from 16 teams to 20 in 2024. “We want to give every member of the ICC the opportunity to compete internationally in the T20 format and have an accessible route to a T20 World Cup,” Allardice says. “By adding extra teams into the events and allowing for qualification directly from our regional events, we’re opening up the T20 World Cup to more teams than ever before. “[T20 is] the format for globalising this sport.
The fact that it was used in the Commonwealth Games recently in Birmingham, for the women’s events, it’s certainly the vehicle that we see to take forward the game. “If [you are] used to following other sports, chances are those are going to last a few hours, not a number of days.
So if you’re going to try and build your profile in a country that has a football following, you are going to use the shortest form of your game to try and attract that interest.” Geoff Allardice was named permanent ICC chief executive in November 2021 The end of August saw the ICC confirm a new bumper four-year Indian broadcast partnership with Disney Star.
Running from 2024 until the end of 2027, it covers all of the organisation’s major events, including the men’s and women’s 50-over and T20 World Cups.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the reported value.
According to The Economic Times , the deal is worth as much as US