The England And Wales Cricket Board (ECB) To Pay Zimbabwe Touring Fee For 2025 One-Off Test

ECB CEO says England has a "huge responsibility" to uphold the quality of bilateral cricket

Zimbabwe will become the first team in the modern era to receive a touring fee from the host board /

By Ian Omoro

When Zimbabwe visits England for a one-off Test match in the summer of 2025, they will become the first team in modern cricket history to earn a "touring fee" from the hosts in bilateral cricket. Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), announced this development on Sky Sports. Last year, on the Final World Podcast, he stated that all of the cricket world's full member nations needed to unite to eradicate the income gap and provide players and fans with high-quality Test cricket. One of his recommendations had been this touring charge.

"Ensuring competitiveness in Tests by major cricketing nations like India, Australia, and England is a huge responsibility," Gould stated to former England captain Mike Atherton.

"When you look at whether it is the revenue share from the ICC or indeed the revenue share from bilateral cricket, which is fairly old-fashioned in truth in the way that it is delivered, for example, next year Zimbabwe is coming to tour [England]. Normally, the way things happen is that the touring team gets itself into the country, and then it is looked after in terms of accommodation and all the rest of it. But there is no fee for that team that is touring. Next year, when we play against Zimbabwe, there will be a fee for that team that's touring," he concluded.

Test cricket has come under scrutiny because of the exorbitant and rising expenses associated with visiting and organizing the match in smaller nations, where the broadcasting rights have become insignificant owing to low viewership. A seven-wicket haul by Shamar Joseph helped WI secure a rare Test win at the Gabba during the two-match Test series against Australia earlier this year, which generated headlines. This led the CEO of Cricket West Indies (CWI) to claim that the income-sharing arrangement of the ICC was broken.

Gould said the financially weaker boards like CWI have his sympathy and are positive about finding ways to keep them afloat.