Preferring not to say it in as many words, former Australian spinner and FICA boss Tim May on Tuesday made a veiled reference to his ouster from the ICC’s Cricket Committee, saying he is more interested in the apex body “policing” and maintaining its stated “governance“.
There have been allegations that the BCCI forced some of the captains of the member boards to vote in favour of former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramkrishnan, who is also a commentator on BCCI payrolls as well as an India Cements employee, which is owned by N.Srinivasan.
“Indeed I am more focused on the ICC policing its own stated standards in terms of governance - this is the real issue not whether I got voted onto this committee,” May told PTI in an exclusive interview from the United States, where he currently resides.
Asked whether he feels there has been a deliberate attempt on part of any particular cricket board to influence other member boards, May replied, “This is an issue that has been identified and raised by a number of parties for a significant number of years including Woolf Committee’s report on ICC’s governance.”
Was he ousted because he was a vocal advocate of implementation of DRS across all Test-playing nations which India has always opposed, he gave a curt reply, “It might be best to ask the BCCI.”
There is a perception about May being anti-BCCI but the former offie sought to clear the air.
“There are some aspects of BCCI that I am a strong supporter of and there are other aspects that concern me and others. Unfortunately, only the negative stuff gets publicised,” he replied.
May also feels that the decision to appoint Sivaramkrishnan won’t affect FICA’s operations.
“Not much, we are formally recognised by the ICC as a recognised Players’ Representative (For The Players Under The FICA Banner), so we will continue to consult and negotiate with the ICC.”
