ICC's curated calendar will reshape how boards plan tours and monetise content

ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta's call to end 'random' bilaterals signals the sport is moving from an era of free-market scheduling to a curated calendar where every bilateral must carry competitive or commercial value, reshaping how boards plan tours. The change will force smaller boards to justify every tour on commercial or competitive grounds, accelerating a two-tier system where only the big three retain the freedom to schedule freely. Bilateral cricket is decided exclusively by member boards without ICC intervention, and the world body only handles scheduling of multi-national competitions such as the World Cups and the World Test Championship. Gupta said only India, England and Australia can afford to play Tests while other full members struggle to monetise the longest format. The shift also means ODIs will be scheduled primarily around World Cup cycles, reducing the number of standalone bilateral series that have traditionally filled the calendar between major events.