"It is clear that there is a groundswell of opinion around the world that the current structure of international cricket is not serving the game globally, and that the status quo is not good enough for the long-term future success of cricket," said Tony Irish, FICA executive chairman.

"The entire cricket economy, including all professional players – both international and domestic – is highly dependent on international cricket. To ensure its survival, the game needs to evolve.

"It has many strengths and its rich history must be protected, but it is time to significantly move the game forward. That is not an easy task, but thinking globally, and not based on regional or country interests, is a good place to start."

Irish said the ICC's focus had been almost exclusively on the decline in Test cricket. FICA says it should be on finding a workable balance. "We know from our player surveys that they are facing a conflict between international cricket and domestic T20 cricket leagues," Irish said. "This is a fundamental issue that we want any future structure of the game to address. Our concern is that if nothing is done, international cricket may very soon lose more and more of its best players to free agency and the T20 leagues. It is time for global, collective thinking."

FICA's survey took in nearly 200 professional cricketers, including 111 internationals. It found that 52 per cent would consider opting for T20 free agency over a national contract, 70 per cent wanted windows dedicated to T20, 75 per cent believed closing the pay gap between the lucrative T20 leagues and international cricket is paramount, and 72 per cent were in favour of Test cricket played in divisions, each with a play-off.