ECB and ICC DISMISS calls to bring in reserve days for Ashes Tests after Australia retained the urn following a final day washout at Old Trafford… insisting such a move would cost £1.5m over a five-match series
- Australia retained the Ashes after the final day of the fourth Test was washed out
- England were in a great position to win but weather put paid to their hopes
- It led to calls from across the cricketing world for reserve days to be introduced
The ECB and ICC have dismissed calls to introduce reserve days for Ashes Tests as a non-starter on the grounds that such a move would cost more than £1.5million over a five-match series.
Former Australia bowler Brad Hogg has backed the calls of frustrated supporters for reserve days following the Old Trafford washout, but those who run the sport regard them as logistically impossible due to cost and the tight international schedule, with ICC regulations mandating a minimum of three days rest for the players between Tests.
Most of the cost of hosting Test matches in England is borne by the venue, with sources telling Mail Sport that the price of staffing and security is around £200,000-a-day, which is recouped through ticket sales and hospitality revenue.
An extra day would not generate any extra ticket income as existing ticket-holders would be entitled to attend for free, but the costs would remain broadly similar.
In addition the ECB’s host broadcaster Sky Sports also spends around £150,000-per-day on production and infrastructure costs, a figure which does not include paying their on-screen talent.
The ECB and ICC have dismissed calls to introduce reserve days for Ashes Tests, citing costs
The final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford was washed out so Australia retained the Ashes
Sky also pay the ECB a rights fee of £15m for each Test match as part of their £220m-a-year media deal, a payment which would need to be renegotiated if play was carried over into a sixth day.
The World Test Championship between Australia and India at The Oval in June had a reserve day, but that was a one-off showpiece event at the end a two-year cycle.
The television coverage of the WTC was also provided by the ICC’s own production company, ICCTV, who underwrote all of the costs.
ICC sources have also told Mail Sport that they are unwilling to alter the three-day minimum rest period between matches to facilitate the introduction of reserve days.
It was very frustrating for Ben Stokes’s side who were in a dominant position to win the game
The World Test Championship between Australia and India at The Oval in June had a reserve day, but that was a one-off showpiece event at the end a two-year cycle
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