Plans for major changes in ICC rules

ICC's plans should awaken the PCB patron PM Nawaz Sharif and others at the board from their deep slumber.

The announcement of major international cricket events by the International Cricket Council (ICC) till 2023, with no provision for any matches to take place in Pakistan should awaken the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a cricket enthusiast, and others at the board from their deep slumber. In addition, efforts and manoeuverings are underway to make structural changes in the powers of the ICC Executive Committee by giving veto power to boards of three countries, namely Australia, England and India. If this proposed plan is passed in the next meetings of the ICC, other members of cricket’s governing body, both Test-playing member countries and associate members, will become subservient to the wishes of the rich cricket boards. In the past, following the efforts made by the then BCCP, under Air Marshal Nur Khan, in the 1980s, all full member countries were able to share equal powers in the ICC’s Executive Board.

There are reports that almost two years ago, this draft proposed by the three rich cricket boards was discussed in an ICC meeting attended by the PCB chairman and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Subhan Ahmed for restructuring of the ICC, with India using its financial powers in tandem with Australia and England in a bid to acquire control of the ICC through veto powers, giving these countries the power to censure any member country on any ground, even if such a move is opposed by majority of other countries. However the Pakistani delegation chose not to alert the patron or the PCB board members and chose to be subservient to India and accepted the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s hegemony. Thereafter, in the last ICC Executive Board meeting attended by Chairman Najam Sethi and the COO, the issue was discussed again, but the patron was still not informed about this proposed plan and its dangers. Whatever the goals of our foreign office vis-a-vis cricket diplomacy, the fact remains that if India were to reciprocate and cooperate with Pakistan, the ban on holding international matches on Pakistani soil could have been removed by now, because an almost similar or even worse security crisis exists in Bangladesh and earlier was present in Sri Lanka, too, during the days of the Tamil-backed insurgency in that country.

Political appointments in the PCB have had an adverse impact on not just the board, but also our domestic cricket structure. In addition, the PCB has also been playing a subservient role to the BCCI on many occasions to its own detriment, with no reciprocal gestures of goodwill.

The patron of the PCB needs to take note of dangers facing Pakistan cricket and use his powers to appoint men of integrity and international stature, who are well versed in ICC affairs, to head the PCB. As it is, following the collapse of our domestic cricket structure, there exist neither genuine zonal boards, nor clubs owning playing fields and teams, which could claim voting rights to select the PCB head. It is a fallacy to hand over the PCB to former cricketers, even if it is through the election process, without putting preconditions that they must have minimal education qualifications with administrative experience in an organisation of repute.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th,  2014.

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