adminDUBAI. — Cricket’s power-brokers meet this week amid an apparent threat from India to withdraw from major global events unless there is radical reform of the International Cricket Council.
The draft proposal to be discussed at a two-day ICC board meeting in Dubai tomorrow and Wednesday calls for more decision-making powers for a three-strong group of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board — who between them represent the game’s wealthiest nations.
On the field, there is also a suggestion of the creation of two divisions for test cricket but with England, Australia and India all safe from relegation because of their commercial importance.
The proposals need seven votes from the ICC’s 10 leading nations to pass.
Thursday saw the BCCI’s emergent working committee declare the proposal “in the interests of cricket at large”. It added it had “authorised the office bearers to enter into agreements with the ICC for participating in the ICC events and hosting ICC events, subject to the proposal being approved by the ICC board”.
The BCCI working committee also gave the go ahead to its top officials to sign bilateral agreements with all other full member boards, including Pakistan. At stake is the current ICC Future Tours Programme, a system that ensures all the 10 leading nations play each other over a set period, thereby guaranteeing the smaller countries aren’t starved of test cricket in particular. — AFP.
Online Reporter