Dave Richardson, South Africa’s former wicketkeeper-batsman, is now a busy man as the CEO of the International Cricket Council. He travels around the world, has pressing issues to resolve and is enjoying every bit of the challenge.
The ICC is in favour of the Cricket Committee’s “strong recommendation that member countries should identify opportunities to play Test cricket that extends into the evening hours (day/night Tests).” The ICC is also pleased with the initiatives taken to get the bowlers to operate with a clean action.
Richardson shared his views on a host of topics in an exclusive interview with The Hindu .
How does the ICC plan to cope with Test cricket’s losing popularity in countries other than England and Australia?
There’s no set answer to this as no one rule fits all, so there’s a need for this to be addressed according to each market. Ideas and concepts such as “less is more”, scheduling of more tri-series, creating a brand around the FTP and around individual series, creating a fresh brand for the ODI format itself (World Cup cricket for example, as Wally Edwards is proposing), creation of Test or ODI World Cup Qualifying leagues. These are all ideas that need to be considered and discussed. They have been mooted before, but now with the involvement of Srinivasan as Chairman, the BCCI, ECB, CA and the other members, these issues are being seriously looked at.
Is throwing the gates open for at least 40 per cent of the Stadium capacity a solution?
That remains a decision for each home Board. However there are also commercial/marketing considerations in terms of setting precedents. Across professional sport this is not a common practice as it can be seen as devaluing the brand.
The Ashes has a rich tradition and draws big crowds. How important is India-Pakistan series for the ICC and Test cricket in general?
Once safety and security issues are addressed, and both parties are satisfied, it will undoubtedly give Test cricket a fillip to see the India-Pakistan series revived. This is one Test cricket, indeed one of sport’s great rivalries and an iconic series which would generate an enormous amount of publicity for the game, not just in both countries but across the world.
Is the ICC happy with the present system of ranking the teams? Is it fair?
Yes, we believe that the Ranking system is fair and provides great context for international cricket. It is the simplest means possible given the uneven schedule of international fixtures, where there’s no guarantee of fixtures or home and away games, for example. The rankings are therefore derived from the result of the match and the strength of the opponent. The rankings stir debate and provide a positive news story for the game. At Test level there is even greater context with the window of opportunity now open for sides to qualify for the Test Championship through the Inter-continental Cup, while in the shorter formats of the game the ODI and T20I rankings provide more nations to grow in a meaningful way at the international level.
Can the Test championship be held in a revised shortened format in the future?
The ICC is looking at ways to crown the best Test team in a way other than the rankings and though a shortened format, over say three or four months, might work over three or four years in a league format.
Is the ICC pleased with the rule changes in ODI cricket. Do the spinners have a bigger role to play under the present rules?
It’s early days as teams and players will take time to settle on the best tactics. Indications are that scoring in the last 10 overs has slowed down, but it’s too early to tell at this point.
There has been some criticism on the use of two new balls, one from either end…
The decision to bring in two new balls was to ensure that the ball was visible to players and fans by the end of each innings. Changing a ball mid-innings was seen to have a significant impact on the outcome of a game mid-match, so this was seen as the fairest means of achieving that goal.
How does the ICC view the present system of DRS. Unlike the last Ashes in England, the recently-concluded edition did not witness controversies. Still there are issues such as the HotSpot not indicating anything but the snicko revealing an edge. Are the different arms of DRS working in cohesion?
There has been significant improvement in the DRS since the 2013 Ashes and the ICC is pleased with the direction technology is progressing. The technology that is being used is improving and the Umpires are training more thoroughly than ever before, so it is no surprise that there has been a major improvement in decision making.
Player behaviour has come under scrutiny these days. Too much aggression is on view and, on occasions, it crosses the line.
The ICC has significantly clamped down on aggressive behaviour over the course of the last year. There have been isolated incidents where player behaviour has stepped over the line and the ICC will continue to adopt a tough line to ensure that the practice of send-offs/inappropriate physical contact are minimised and, hopefully, eradicated.
Is the system put in place by the ICC to curb corruption in cricket working? Salman Butt, Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif have received a second chance.
Yes, the system is working but the ICC isn’t complacent. The ICC commissioned an Integrity Working Party to oversee the entire system as the threat of corruption is not just in international cricket, but a transient threat affecting the domestic game. A lot of work has been done to review these findings and there is a greater role for a central Anti-Corruption Unit as it attempts to pave the way for greater coordination of preventative and investigative activity around the world.
With regard to the three players, the Tribunal saw fit to offer a second opportunity to them to return to domestic and international cricket, provided it met specified criteria. It is now up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to set up a formal rehabilitation programme, which it has done.
The ICC fully supports the PCB in its efforts to help the players rebuild the reputation of the players and maintain the integrity of the game.
