Opposition mounts for ICC’s plan

The opposition to the proposed restructuring of the International Cricket Council (ICC) gathered strength on Sunday with administrators and former cricketers calling for the ‘position paper’ to be withdrawn at once.

On Saturday, former ICC president Ehsan Mani had delivered a detailed analysis of the proposal drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). On Sunday, Mani formally wrote to the ICC to register his protest.

The letter, which contained an attachment of Mani’s assessment, was undersigned by Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray, both former senior administrators with the ICC and CA, Clive Lloyd, former West Indies captain and former ICC cricket committee chairman, and Shaharyar Khan and Lt Gen. (retd.) Tauqir Zia, former Pakistan Cricket Board presidents.

Bacher joins list Ali Bacher, former South Africa captain and the first managing director of the South African board after reunification, added his voice to the opposition.

In a letter to ICC president Alan Isaac, Bacher wrote: “The Position Paper … if accepted would lead to division and strife in world cricket as never seen before. ICC member countries should never forget the animosity that existed, particularly in the sub-continent and the Caribbean, when England and Australia had veto rights prior to 1993.

“I am, therefore, associating myself with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Mani in his critique of the Position Paper.”

The opposition was united in its view that the ICC needed to re-examine the conclusions of the 2012 Woolf Report, which recommended an improvement in governance, the appointment of independent board directors and increased transparency.

The proposal will be debated and voted upon by the ICC executive board in its meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.