A miffed Federation of International Cricketers Association on Tuesday demanded an ICC ethics committee enquiry into BCCI-backed L.Sivaramakrishnan’s appointment as a players’ representative in the governing body, saying captains could have been forced to vote against incumbent Tim May.
Sivaramakrishnan replaced May, who is also the FICA CEO, on the ICC Cricket Committee after a reported re-vote pushed for by the BCCI.
It is alleged that in the initial vote, May had won 9-1 but the BCCI used its financial might to coerce the Cricket Boards of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe into asking their respective captains to vote for Sivaramakrishnan.
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Jimmy Adams, former West Indies captain and FICA president, said the election has created serious doubts about the credibility of the ICC.
“How can the players of the world look to ICC for leadership in these circumstances and how does the spirit of cricket apply to the organisation itself?” Adams asked.
“Board members didn’t like how their captains intended to vote, so they apparently ordered them to change that vote. This type of behaviour from the game’s ruling body makes a mockery of their motives behind the procurement of the Woolf report,” he said.
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Adams said the manner of Sivaramakrishnan’s appointment signifies everything that is wrong in the governance model of the ICC.
“...the reported actions of some of the Member Boards and ICC directors, at the very least warrant investigation under this Code. We call on ICC to hold itself up to the high standards of moral conduct it constantly tells the players and officials it expects from them.”
“Ultimately, these actions are symptoms of poor governance at the top level and a blatant disregard for what most would regard as the necessary ethical standards required to run a prominent international sport - cricket deserves a lot better,”
‘ESPNCricinfo’