Cricket’s Prisoner’s Dilemma: By trying to save test cricket, the Big 3 killed it for everyone | Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog

At the end of one of one absorb India-England Test SeriesNasser Hussain reflected,

“It would be wonderful to look at and go this week, why are we complaining, why are we worried about test match cricket?

… why do people correct this size? It’s just so great, but I’m afraid that other countries don’t have the luxury that England, India, Australia have …So we and India and Australia have to keep an eye on the future of Testmatch Cricket. If we let go of this, we don’t do the game a service … We have to keep an eye on this and continue to push it forward and take care of those who are not so happy. “

Nasser Hussain

It is a beautiful feeling, and most fans would probably agree, Nasser.

But it is also paradoxical.

This is probably not the ideal week to raise this – not after five moving tests, packed crowds and one Absolute crazy of a finish. But here is the uncomfortable truth:

When trying to save test cricket, the Big 3 can unintentionally suffocate.

The story that ‘test cricket dies’ hurts the game

Every time the ashes, the Border-Gavaskar trophy or an India-England series, we hear the same recycled story: “Testcricket is in danger.”

But is it real?

The love for the format was clear in the final of the world test championship, in which South Africa presented their quality and a neutral English crowd that contributed to the occasion.

Test cricket is healthyAt least in England, Australia and India.

And that is exactly the problem. In their attempt to protect and take advantage of the size, the Big 3 started playing more and more Exclusive.

The spectators receive quality test cricket, packaged stadiums, polished broadcasts and high TV reviews. The format “remains alive”.

The endless Tri series

Test Cricket has currently changed into an never-ending Tri series between India, England and Australia.

• An in Ind (November 16, 17)
• Van In Ind (February 17)
• IND in Eng (July 18)
• An in-out (November 17-Jan 18)
• In van (November 18, 19-Jan
• From in A (Aug-Sep 19)
• IND in Eng (Aug-Sept 21/22)
• In van (20 Nov.-21-Januari)
• Eng in Ind (February 21)
• One in (December 21, 22-Januari)
• Van In Ind (23 February 23)
• Out in A (Jun-Jul 23)
• Eng in Ind (January 24)
• In van (November 24-januari-25)
• IND in Eng (June 25)
• A hit (November 25-Jan 26)

Who said it was good.

India vs England is prepared for the coming axis. Just as the ashes will be prepared for the next BGT.

In the meantime, the rest of the world awaits:

• Zimbabwe has no longer traveled through Australia for a test series 2003.
• Australia last played a test against Bangladesh 2017.
• England did not tour in Sri Lanka in between 2012 and 2018.
• India visited 2-Match test series for the last time in February 2020 for the pandemic. That feels centuries ago.
• Even the popular NZ-ENG series has not seen a four-test series since then 199999..

And these are just a few examples.

Test Cricket has practically only grew from 2 flowering cricket countries to 3 flowering countries in 150 years.

– Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) August 5, 2025

The problem of game theory: everyone for themselves

The Dilemma of the prisoner is a classic game theory problem, an investigation into how rational decisions that are taken in self -interest can lead to worse results for all involved.

Imagine two people who are both accused of a crime and interrogate individually. Each has two choices: Stay still (collaborate) or betray the other (defect):

• If both are silent, they get out with light sentences (let’s say every year).
• If one defects are silent while the other is silent, the defector is released (0 years) while the other gets a tough sentence (10 years).
• If they are both defective, they serve every moderate time (3 years).

Logically, every person would like to define to avoid the worst-case scenario. But when both individuals make the ‘rational’ choice, they get worse than when they had trusted each other. And that’s the dilemma:

Acting in self -interest leads to a collective poorer outcome, even if cooperation would have helped them both.

Collaboration requires sacrifice, but cricket is not designed for it

We all criticized the ICC at one point or another.

But let’s give them some grace. Unlike other global sports organizations, the ICC is not a centralized power.

Cricket is not a single united company. It is rather the network of competing authorities that try to protect their self -interest with the ICC that acts as a mediator. Consider the test game countries:

That is 50+ individual individual business entitiesEach try to show a profit, satisfy sponsors and keep their board happy.

Now this can work in theory. Money is not a Zero-Sum game and several companies can succeed together.

However, Cricket has two inevitable limitations:

• The calendar: There are only so many days of the year and even fewer in a cricket summer seasons are even shorter.
• The players: Unlike football, where there is an abundance of international quality athletes, Cricket continues to copy and paste the same pool of global T20 stars (think of Rashid Khan, Pooran, Klaasen, FAF, Russell, etc.).

And when everyone fights for the same weeks and the same set of players, it changes Survival of the strongestA capitalist model where some only thrive at the expense of the others.

Supply and demand: the big 3 competitions are the talent of the world to drain

England and Australia have short cricket summer people, which means plugs with tests, provincial, bilateral series and T20 competitions in a sleek window.

The impact?

We rarely see the stars such as Steve Smith or Mitchell Starc who play a full season of Big Bash or Ben Stokes The hundred.

Here is the catch: The big bash and The hundred And the individual franchises must still retain profitability. So what do they do?

They import talent. She poach The West Indians, South Africans, Kiwis, Pakistanen and beyond to elevate the standard of their own competitions.

While England, Australia and India try to retain a test cricket at home, their T20 competitions refuel the talent pipelines of test cricket elsewhere.

The smaller countries have an offer of great talent, but they do not have the financial power to retain them. These players must go where the question is: the IPL, Big Bash, MLC, The hundredSA20, ILT20.

But wait, Cricket West -India, PCB, CSA, NZC, they all have to make money, right?

In order to survive in the limited calendar, they have to make difficult choices: launch their own T20 competitions, cut off test journeys because of costs and planning collisions and pressing random bilateral ODI series with India to continue to float financially.

This ensures a step-by-step effect: (1) oversaturation of cricket, (2) early poor-like retirement, (3) higher injury risks and (4) growing friction between players and their boards.

The vicious circle of modern test cricket

We can summarize the vicious circle of modern test cricket that we know are used to.

1. Big 3 dominate the calendar

India, England and Australia pack their summer with high-profile, so that there is no room for their stars in domestic T20 competitions (except the IPL)

2. Top players are poached from smaller countries

Competitions such as the BBL and The hundred Fill the gaps by importing talent from smaller countries.

3. Smaller boards cut tests to survive

With tight finances, smaller boards give priority to Limited above bilateral and launch their own competitions, but cannot keep their players.

4. Test quality drops that justify more Big 3 -series

Then, once in a blue moon, an Australia visits a West Indian side and decimates completely. The story “Test cricket is die”, and the idea reinforces that only the Big 3 can keep the size alive.

And so the vicious circle continues.

Also read: How much wealth is needed to win? Cricket, Olympic Games and the Economy of Sport Dominance

Last thoughts: The Big 3 didn’t want to kill it. But they are

Als fans willen we het allemaal-gemakstadions in het Caribisch gebied, epische rivaliteit van vijf tests, een bloeiende provinciale wedstrijd, een vermakelijk IPL-seizoen, de Poorans & Klaasens die de 2026 T20 Wereldbeker oplichten, een ODI-game die nog steeds afwerkingen biedt zoals de 2019 WC Finals, Return of the Champions League, Room voor Associates, Room for Associates, Room for Associates, Room for Associates, Room for Associates, and much more.

Unfortunately, with a finite cricket calendar, a limited player pool and every plate, franchise and broadcasters who all act rationally in their own self-interest, something must give.

The BIG 3 claims to protect the test cricket, but what have they actually sacrificed?

England will not even take into account the idea of a two -fold WTC Because they may not even be eligible for the top layer and risk the money accompanied by playing Australia or India (a little sacrifice and $ 37 million dollars can solve the WTC problem, but that is a different story).

By trying to save the sport, the Big 3 can even suffocate the life.

Sometimes a small collaboration and a small sacrifice is everything needed.

BCD#401 © Copyright @nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 08/07/2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission of the author and/or owner of this site is strictly prohibited. Fragments and links can be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to broken cricket dreams with the correct and specific direction for the original content (ie linked to the exact message/article).

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