Former cricket chiefs attack the International Cricket Council's proposal for 'big three' - BCCI, ECB and CA - decision making powers ahead of a crucial meeting in Dubai
Dubai: Former cricket chiefs have attacked the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) proposal for greater decision-making powers for a three-strong group of the Board of Control for Cricket. The trio concerned are India, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board — who between them represent the game’s wealthiest nations.
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Three is company: Malcolm Speed (left), Malcolm Gray and Ehsan Mani (right) have co-signed the letter to the ICC. Pic/Getty Images
The ICC are due to discuss the controversial plan — which has been drafted because of an apparent threat by India to withdraw from major global events unless there is radical reform of the ICC — in Dubai today and tomorrow.
However, a growing number of respected former cricket chiefs have expressed their alarm at such moves — which would also include a two tier test league with Australia, India and England being protected from relegation owing to their financial weight.
Mani blasts paper
Pakistan’s former ICC president Ehsan Mani has written a letter to the ICC — which significantly has been co-signed by Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray formerly high up in the Australian cricket administration and then respectively chief executive and president of the ICCe — saying the paper needed to be withdrawn.
Mani estimated that if the draft was given the thumbs up the loss in projected revenue to Associate and Affiliate Members would be more than USD 312million, an amount that would instead be redistributed largely to the boards of India, Australia and England.
“The biggest gainers are BCCI, ECB and CA,” Mani wrote. “In addition, ICC events for the period 2015-2023 will be held only in India, England and Australia. “These Boards will receive hosting fees for the events in addition to the ICC Distributions they propose.
“A point that also needs to be addressed is; why does BCCI need more money at the expense of other countries? “The domestic and international media fees that BCCI receives from playing with other members are massive and underpin BCCI’s financial position. It is the richest cricket board in the world.
“If cricket is to grow and develop around the world more investment is required in the Associate & Affiliate countries, not less. “The Associate & Affiliate countries represent some of the biggest economies in the world.
“If cricket could be established properly in the United States of America and China and become an Olympic sport, the ICC could double its revenues in real terms over the next 10-15 years. “This requires vision and a less parochial approach.”
Ali Bacher, who was managing director of the then United Cricket Board (now Cricket South Africa) from 1991 to 2001 and tournament director of the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, added his powerful voice to those of Mani and Speed in arguing for a more prudent approach to be taken.
The 71-year-old former South African Test captain wrote a letter to present ICC president Alan Isaac saying that cricket risked being torn apart if the proposal went through. “The Position Paper put forward by BCCI, ECB and CA if accepted would lead to division and strife in world cricket as never seen before,” he wrote.
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