“We’d have to be open to consider all options,” Greenberg told the BBC’s Stumped podcast.
“Our relationship with the ECB but also the BCCI is very strong. And clearly, there are opportunities in India to put more content into certain areas. That’s not something we are currently planning, but it would be certainly open for consideration.”
The strength of India’s market was summed up in an ECB report earlier this year, that projected English cricket to register a profit due to a recently completed white-ball tour of England by India. By contrast, they expect losses in 2027 despite hosting the men’s and women’s Ashes. “Attention should be drawn to the fact that the ECB’s revenues are inherently cyclical, reflecting the scheduling of high-value broadcast series by opposition,” the report said.
Any potential relocation for the Ashes will require sign off from both CA and the ECB, along with cooperation from the BCCI. But with the continued rise of franchise cricket, and the ever-growing presence of the Indian Premier League – both with its flagship competition and its expanding network into other countries, including The Hundred – Greenberg believes such a move will further establish Test cricket’s space in the modern ecosystem. He also acknowledged the difficulty of finding space in an already packed schedule.
“I think Test cricket between us, England and India is still very strong, probably bucking the trend as to other parts of the world. So we want to make sure we continue to grow it and strengthen it.
“The challenge for all of us in global cricket is there are only 365 days in a schedule and we probably need another month or two if we actually can generate the content we want to.”
