International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman N. Srinivasan is of the view that any rebel league, despite offering large sums of money to lure away cricketers, will find things hard.
Talking exclusively to The Hindu here on Monday, Mr. Srinivasan said, “Any attempt to form such a rebel league is not easy to succeed. Cricket as we know has been established over a long period of time in various countries. It is based on domestic structures that have been put in place for centuries as in the case of England and Australia, and 80 to 90 years in India.”
Elaborating, he said, “Just because ICC events are popular and receive broadcasting rights, it doesn’t mean it can be duplicated overnight. The assumption that a substantial chunk of players will go away and be part of a league that will sustain itself over time … it is hard to see that happening.”
Although he was away from running BCCI affairs now, Mr. Srinivasan had words of appreciation for the new Board secretary Anurag Thakur.
“He [Mr. Thakur] is very capable and he is very efficient. And I believe he will be good for Indian cricket.” Despite international cricket being rocked by incidents of match and spot fixing in the past, Mr. Srinivasan was confident that the new security measures put in place by the ICC would curb the menace. “What the ICC looks for in the future is to primarily develop the game, deliver outstanding world events and protect the integrity of the sport. It is but natural that ICC will take all necessary steps to keep the sport clean.”
On Lalit Modi’s statements and tweets about several BCCI officials and cricketers, the ICC chairman said, “I never respond to anything that Lalit Modi says.”
Asked about Chennai being picked as a venue – doubts have arisen because three stands in the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium have not yet been cleared by corporation – for the ICC World Twenty20, he said, “Venues will have to be proposed by the BCCI.”
Chennai has a very good chance of being picked if clearances are given to the stands in question.On his happiest moment as the president of the BCCI, Mr. Srinivasan said, “The most satisfying aspect was the BCCI deciding to award one-time benefit to all past cricketers. The credit goes to every member of the BCCI as a whole.” Mr. Srinivasan maintained the events leadings to his exit as the BCCI president did not affect him. “There is nothing personal for me to have felt any pain. I just do my job. I acknowledge with humility the opportunity to have worked in the BCCI.”
Queried about the tough stance taken by the ICC on chucking, Mr. Srinivasan said, “I strongly support that policy and think it is good for the game. You must realise that there is collective decision making in the ICC and the credit should go to the entire Board and the management.”
'Next World Cup will be a 10-team event'
Did ICC Chairman N. Srinivasan feel that Test cricket was under threat? The crowds for the longer and the most respected form of the game have been dwindling in several parts of the world. Mr. Srinivasan answered, “It is difficult to say if Test cricket is losing support. In many countries, Test cricket is quite popular while there has been a low turn-out in some others. This is something that the ICC has observed. This is one of the topics that has been seriously analysed by members at ICC meetings. The ICC believes major Test countries want Test cricket to grow.”
He was confident that the “new financial structure will help members.”
“The ICC expects that the sum total of income including media rights and sponsorship will be substantially more in the 2015-23 cycle than in the previous one. The new structure provides for greater resources for associates and affiliate members and also increases the share for full members, which includes a Test fund to help them to play Test cricket,” he said.
Top associate nation to play Test cricket
On the criticism of the Big Three – India, England and Australia — ganging up, Mr. Srinivasan said: “The criticism is unfair. One looks at the financial model, the distribution is fair as far as the BCCI is concerned. They used to get a far lower share than what the region contributed. During this cycle, all full members will get more than in the previous cycle. Associates and affiliates will get more, the glass ceiling is broken. The top associate will get an opportunity to play Test cricket. And there will be more opportunity for them to participate in ICC World Cup and Twenty20 events.”
He made it clear that the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup would be restricted to 10 teams. “The next ICC ODI World Cup will be a 10-team event. The associate nations will have a chance to take part in the play-off against the ninth and 10th ranked ODI teams.”
The concept of a short two-Test series followed by a welter of one-day games has come under the scanner with many arguing that Test cricket was being diluted. Mr. Srinivasan said, “The Future Tours Programme is decided between the countries. It is bilateral. It is really for them to decide on the number of Tests.”
On whether day-night Test matches would make the five-day game interesting, he said, “I don’t know. Because I don’t know to what extent such changes would really help.”
Dwelling on the recent rule changes to ODIs that have given bowlers some respite in a format increasingly favouring batsmen, Mr. Srinivasan said, “The rule changes were suggested by the Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble. They were accepted. It is a step in the right direction.”
Use of DRS
That the BCCI continued to oppose DRS pleased him. “When I was president, BCCI, for several valid reasons, did not agree to the use of DRS. The system includes ball tracking technology as well as hot spot, snicko, etc. I am glad that the present BCCI management is doing the same.”
Mr. Srinivasan was happy with the quality of umpiring in international matches. “The ICC has established a system to review the performance of umpires. The ICC has international and elite panels. I believe the ICC spends a lot of time to improve the quality of umpires and grade them appropriately.”
