The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to consider a series of radical proposals, designed to stem the talent drain caused by domestic Twenty/20 and protect the sport from being cannibalized at all levels.

Cricket is at a crossroads and there is a growing acceptance among its administrators that the primacy of internationals – test cricket in particular – is being diminished by the proliferation of short-form tournaments that, if unchecked, could cause irreversible damage.

To that end, the chief executives of the full member national boards will come together at the next ICC meeting in Kolkata in April to debate a discussion paper on the possible future landscape for domestic Twenty20 cricket within the world game, and recommendations that include:

• Restricting players under 32 to three domestic T20 leagues per year
• Regional t20 windows that leave six months of the year clear for international cricket from 2023 onwards
• All leagues to pay 20% of a player’s contract value to their home board as mandatory compensation
• Capping the number of overseas players in each domestic t20 league
• Standardized conditions that guarantee player welfare and payment

This push to bring in greater global regulation for Twenty20 is being led by West Indies – the ICC full member most affected by the twenty/20 player exodus over the past decade – and is understood to have had input and support from England and Australia.

The global players’ union, FICA, will welcome the elements that provide its members with greater security.