Even before the start of the T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has become embroiled in a series of controversies.
The global governing body of cricket has already faced criticism from the World Cricketers Association (WCA) over the issue of excluding Bangladesh from the World Cup.
Now, the ICC and the WCA have entered into a fresh confrontation. The dispute centres primarily on players’ individual rights, (specifically the rights to their names, photographs and image) and the terms and conditions governing their participation.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the WCA claims that the ICC has sent players a set of conditions for the 2026 T20 World Cup that do not align with an agreement signed between the two parties in 2024.
The players organisation argues that the ICC’s newly proposed conditions are far more “exploitative”.
The WCA has written to the ICC to express its concerns. In response, the ICC has stated that the 2024 agreement applied only to eight national governing bodies (NGBs) and that the remaining World Cup nations do not fall under that agreement.
The eight boards referred to by the ICC are Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland.
Bangladesh does not appear on this list because it declined to play in India, with Scotland taking its place. Among the remaining 12 countries, the boards of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates do not recognise the WCA.
These ICC conditions severely undermine players’ rights. Imposing different terms on financially vulnerable players is especially troubling. For many players, ICC events represent their primary source of income.WCA chief executive, Tom Moffat
As a result, players from those countries are not members of the organisation.
Although Italy, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Namibia, the United States and Canada do have players’ associations, they had not received any terms and conditions as of 15 January.
The WCA fears that the ICC will send the same “controversial” conditions to them as well.
The WCA maintains that the 2024 agreement applied to all of its members, regardless of whether they participate in the World Cup. From a legal standpoint, the organisation argues that the agreement should remain binding on all parties.
In a memorandum sent to players on 15 January, WCA Chief Executive Tom Moffat highlighted eight areas of inconsistency.
These include media appearances, access to dressing rooms, use of players’ personal data, commercial licensing and mechanisms for resolving legal disputes.
The core issue revolves around players’ right to consent. Under the earlier agreement, players could negotiate all matters either individually or through the WCA.
However, under the ICC’s new conditions, players’ consent would no longer be required, and boards would have the final authority.
For example, regarding the use of players’ images, the new ICC conditions require players to grant licences to any third party to use their images. An ICC partner could even promote its products using the images of three players from a single team.
By contrast, the 2024 agreement imposed far stricter limitations and made such use subject to consultation with the WCA.
A dispute has also arisen over the ownership of players’ biological and personal data. The ICC seeks to retain ownership of this information so that it can use it commercially with board approval.
The WCA, however, insists that players themselves own their data and that no one should use it without their consent.
The most controversial condition states that if players take part in the World Cup, the authorities will deem them to have accepted all terms and conditions—regardless of whether they have formally signed them. The WCA strongly opposes what it describes as this “imposed” approach.
Tom Moffat has accused the ICC and its member boards of attempting to strip away protections that players are entitled to and of seeking to exert ownership over players.
He believes that the agreement particularly targets lower-paid or amateur players for exploitation.
Moffat clarified that the WCA does not wish to disrupt the World Cup. However, he expressed serious concern stating, “These ICC conditions severely undermine players’ rights. Imposing different terms on financially vulnerable players is especially troubling. For many players, ICC events represent their primary source of income.”
According to reports, the ICC has yet to respond to a subsequent letter sent by the WCA earlier this week. ESPNcricinfo has contacted the ICC for comment, but as of the publication of this report, the organisation had not issued any response.