ICC and players’ body clash over rights ahead of T20 World Cup

Even before the T20 World Cup gets underway, the ICC is finding itself mired in controversy after controversy.

The world governing body has already faced criticism from the global players’ body, the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), over Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament.

Now the WCA and the ICC are locked in a new standoff. This time, the dispute centres on players’ personal rights — including name, image and likeness — and the conditions of participation.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the WCA claims that the ICC has sent players a set of terms for the 2026 T20 World Cup that do not align with an agreement signed by both parties in 2024. The players’ body argues that the newly proposed terms are far more “exploitative”.

The WCA has written to the ICC to express its concerns. In response, the ICC has said that the 2024 agreement applied only to eight national governing bodies (NGBs), and that the remaining World Cup participants are not covered by it.

The eight boards cited by the ICC are Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland. Bangladesh is not on the list after refusing to travel to India, with Scotland taking its place. Of the remaining 12 countries, the boards of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates do not recognise the WCA.

As a result, players from those countries are not members of the association. While Italy, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Namibia, the United States and Canada do have players’ associations, they had not received any participation terms as of 15 January. The WCA fears that the same “controversial” conditions will eventually be sent to them as well.

The WCA maintains that the 2024 agreement was intended to apply to all its members, regardless of whether or not they were participating in the World Cup. Legally, the organisation argues, the agreement should be binding on all.

In a memo sent to players on 15 January, WCA chief executive Tom Moffat highlighted inconsistencies across eight areas. These include media appearances, access to dressing rooms, use of players’ personal data, commercial licensing and dispute resolution mechanisms.

At the heart of the dispute is the issue of consent. The previous agreement stated that players would be able to negotiate, either individually or through the WCA, on all such matters. Under the ICC’s new terms, however, players’ consent would no longer be required; whatever the board decides would be final.

Take, for example, the use of players’ images. Under the new ICC terms, players would be obliged to license their images to any third party. An ICC partner could even promote a product using images of three players from the same team. By contrast, the 2024 agreement placed far stricter limits on such use and required consultation with the WCA.

There is also disagreement over ownership of players’ biological and personal data. The ICC wants to retain ownership of this information, allowing it to be used commercially with board approval. The WCA argues that players themselves are the rightful owners of their data and that it cannot be used without their consent.

Perhaps the most contentious clause is one that deems a player’s participation in the World Cup as automatic acceptance of all terms and conditions — whether or not they have actually signed the agreement. The WCA has strongly opposed this “imposed consent” approach.

Moffat has accused the ICC and its member boards of working together to strip away protections that players are entitled to. He claims they are even seeking to “own” the players. In his view, those most at risk of exploitation under the proposed terms are lower-paid or semi-professional cricketers.