Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Chris Dehring has criticised the financial structure of international cricket, arguing that the current model
leaves the Caribbean board without a share of the revenue generated by bilateral series against India, despite their substantial commercial value.
Speaking to Wisden Cricket's Inside Scoop, Dehring described the arrangement as one of the major anomalies in world cricket, claiming that a series in India could generate between $20 million and $30 million in revenue while West Indies cricket receives nothing directly from that income.
"That is one of the great anomalies of world cricket where we play against India, no matter where that match is played - in this case it's being played in India - and the West Indies cricket gets nothing. When a match that probably has a value and revenue generation capacity of probably 20-30 million dollars (for a series) in India and we are getting nothing," Dehring said.
His comments come as West Indies face India in a five-match T20I series, bringing renewed attention to the financial disparities between cricket boards operating in vastly different commercial markets.
Chris Dehring Blames 1997 ICC Vote for Financial Disparity
Dehring traced the origins of the current financial structure to a vote by International Cricket Council (ICC) member countries in 1997. He argued that the decision to change the existing model removed a crucial source of income for West Indies cricket.
Before the change, Dehring said, West Indies were an attractive touring side and received touring fees from host nations. Those payments, he explained, often generated more revenue than the board could earn by hosting international series in the Caribbean.
"Uptill then, West Indies was a very attractive team, and everybody wanted us to tour. We would be paid a touring fee and essentially that was more than what we could make in the Caribbean hosting series," he said.
"We would make all revenues from the international tours that we would take - Australia, India and England - and that helped to sustain the West Indies cricket. "
According to Dehring, cricket boards subsequently recognised the growing value of television rights and chose to retain the revenue generated by their domestic markets rather than share it with visiting teams.
"All the countries recognised where TV rights were going. And they decided we don't want to pay anybody our domestic TV rights. We will keep all to ourselves and that's fine," he said.
India vs West Indies Series Highlights Revenue Gap
Dehring argued that the existing model disproportionately benefits countries with large populations and lucrative domestic broadcasting markets, leaving smaller cricket boards with a much more limited revenue base.
"India gets to keep revenues based on a billion and a half people while West Indies gets to keep all the revenues generate in Antigua - it has 100,000 people or St Kitts - around 30,000 people," he said.
He described the 1997 decision as fundamentally unfair, claiming that West Indies were heavily outvoted when the ICC's member countries considered the change.
"It was just palpably unfair, and we were outvoted nine to one by the member countries of the ICC. And I said it then when the vote was taken that you have just signed the demise of West Indies cricket because you've taken away our main source of income," Dehring added.
His comments underline the financial challenges faced by cricket boards that cannot generate broadcasting revenues on the same scale as India, where the size of the domestic market gives the sport substantial commercial reach.
Why Overseas Revenue Matters to West Indies Cricket
Dehring also pointed to the broader economic realities of the Caribbean, where smaller island economies depend significantly on income generated outside their borders.
He compared cricket's financial challenges with other sectors that rely on external revenue, including tourism, oil and gas refining, and remittances.
"Because of the small size of the island states, we depend substantially on revenues outside the Caribbean - it doesn't matter whether it's tourism industry, oil and gas refinery industry or remittances. These are all the things that sustain the Caribbean - externally generated revenue and sources," he said.
For Dehring, the financial structure of international cricket has made it harder for West Indies cricket to benefit from the commercial value of playing against wealthier boards.
His criticism raises wider questions about how international cricket distributes revenue and whether the current system adequately accounts for the differing financial circumstances of its member nations.
