ICC chief executive David Richardson has welcomed the BCCI’s increased responsibility within the global body, post the structural and financial reforms that were passed earlier this year. With BCCI president N. Srinivasan also set to take over as the ICC’s first chairman, he said he was of the opinion that India’s active involvement and accountability, as opposed to mere influence, was encouraging.
Richardson was speaking on the sidelines of the ICC World Twenty20 here on Friday.
“Mr. Srinivasan will come in as chairman only in June. What I like about the position is that, for the first time, the BCCI will be very much part of the governance structure, playing a full role in developing the strategy going forward,” Richardson said.
“Their (BCCI’s) approach was always to sit on the outside, not to take part in developing strategy. Now for the first time, they have taken the responsibility on their shoulders,” he said.
The former South African wicketkeeper addressed a number of other issues, including the IPL, the DRS, and the situation with Associate nations.
The news that the first phase of the IPL would be played in the UAE was recently hailed as a positive for cricket in the region by the ICC. Any support to the BCCI, however, would be limited to anti-corruption efforts, Richardson said.
“Our office is in Dubai, so we have certain facilities which we will make available to the BCCI if they need them. Essentially though, our involvement would be on the anti-corruption side. As we speak, the contract between the BCCI and the ICC ACSU (Anti Corruption and Security Unit) is under negotiation,” he said.
The ICC wanted to point out, he added, that “rightly or wrongly, the region (the UAE) sometimes gets accused of having integrity issues. And we wanted to assure everybody that, in that respect certainly, we are keeping a very close eye on the tournament and making sure that it remains above board.”
Richardson was also hopeful the BCCI would reconsider its opposition to the DRS, in light of improvements in the technology. Anil Kumble, who chairs the ICC cricket committee, would play a key role in the process, he said.