India, June 12 -- Considering that cricket's big challenge is to protect history while embracing change, the venue of the World Cricket Connect (WCC) conference was ideal. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) invited cricket's stakeholders to Lord's, the home of cricket which represents tradition, culture and history going back 200 years. The Long Room set the tone for the meet by embracing change - the dress code was relaxed to allow guests to attend without the mandatory tie and jacket. The MCC's WCC started with a disclaimer that the stakeholder meet was not a decision-making authority, it only represented views and opinions that can play a role in shaping the future of the game we all love. The star cast of speakers and panellists participating in the discussions was impressive. Prominent among them were former captains Barry Richards, Mike Atherton, Andrew Strauss, Sourav Ganguly, Kumar Sangakkara, Kane Williamson and Pat Cummins. Discussions centred around the confusion and complexity arising from cricket having three formats, the rapid expansion of privately owned franchise leagues, the threat/imminent demise of Test cricket and the likely direction of future growth. Questions asked: Can all three formats co-exist? Should Test cricket be saved? What will spark cricket's future growth? What is the best way to engage with fans? Answers that emerged: Cricket is richer because it offers multiple products but scheduling must respect market realities. Meaningless red-ball cricket and context-less bilateral matches must release space for high quality 'best versus best' games - red-ball or white-ball. Nostalgia and romance of the past is part of cricket's attraction but the mood of the WCC was pragmatic when it came to making cricket 'purpose fit' for future relevance. Speakers pointed out that cricket has to serve the consumer, and what the fans want must be the guiding principle. Cricket is part of the entertainment industry, it competes for time, energy, resources and attention of busy people who have multiple options to choose from. In this fight for time and eyeballs - and the challenge to stay relevant - consistent engagement is critical. Fans relate to heroes, and they are the hooks that create interest and drive engagement. Cricket needs a Virat Kohli to keep the financial wheels moving. The business mantra of sport is: 'come for the hero, stay for the game'. Sangakkara, one of cricket's most sober, sensible and respected voices, summed it up nicely. We are entertainers, he said, and must listen to fans and deliver what they enjoy. They want big moments created by the best talent that cricket can offer. The rapid expansion of franchise leagues was debated and dissected in detail. Privately owned teams/leagues disrupt the existing structure by creating a national boards versus owners situation with players in the middle. But cricket is stronger because of its transformative nature in terms of reaching out to new areas and new fans, and energising the system by being professional and innovative. Regarding the future of cricket, there was optimism. From a commercial standpoint, cricket could become a $10 billion economy riding on the back of women's cricket and exploiting the potential in the US. One common thread during the various sessions was about the need for an inclusive global ecosystem that provides space to the new stakeholders. Cricket is at that fork in the road where hard choices have to be made about the journey ahead. Whichever path is chosen, cricket's future is linked to India because if its huge fan base, market and commercial muscle. At present ICC (collectively) and member boards (individually) are economically viable due to India's helping hand. Bottom line: most countries would be struggling if India did not tour them. Sangakkara batted for India when asked about its role in the context of cricket's future. Ganguly, who seems to own Lord's given his 1996 debut hundred and the Salman Khan act on the pavilion balcony in 2002, stepped in elegantly to remind others about India's positive contribution at different levels. The WCC was a platform where various stakeholders came together for sessions that were stimulating, providing insight about recent developments, described by a speaker as 'revolutionary, not just evolutionary'. Plenty of legitimate questions were raised, and solutions offered. Some pragmatic, others wild swings separated from reality. The conference was summed up by a participant who remarked that most answers about cricket's future will come from outside the Long Room....