Not a last minute decision: South Africa rebuffs 'deals' talk over ICC vote

South Africa says it exercised the vote in terms of the mandate given to it.

CAPE TOWN: Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani denied on Tuesday that he changed his organisation's vote or "cut deals" after backing a proposed revamp of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Nenzani cast South Africa's vote in Singapore last Saturday in favour of a proposal which effectively gives control to the "big three" of India, England and Australia despite CSA having earlier opposed the idea.

"I would just like to correct the misleading perception that we changed our vote at the last moment," he told a media briefing in Cape Town.

"That is not the case. I exercised our vote in terms of the mandate given to me by my fellow board members and the members' forum at our joint sitting on February 1.

"We did not form alliances or cut deals with any other country," said Nenzani.

"I did attend a meeting with the representatives of Sri Lanka and Pakistan ahead of the meeting so that they were aware of our position.

"What we have achieved is not the ideal outcome, but it is the best possible one that was available to us both for our own future and that of the global game."

The CSA vote left Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the only countries not in favour. Both abstained from voting.

Nenzani met Indian board president N Srinivasan before the ICC meeting and Sanjay Patel, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said later that the two countries were on the verge of concluding a deal for bilateral tours.

Nenzani told a media briefing in Cape Town that CSA had protected their rights and status as a full member of the ICC.

He said the approved proposal also protected the constitution of the ICC with fully democratic elections after a two-year interim period.

"It has also been agreed that all full members will fulfil bilateral playing agreements with one another that will be legally enforceable," he said.

Nenzani said CSA were close to finalising bilateral agreements for future tours.

"It will open the way for our world-leading Proteas to play four-match and possibly even five-match Test series and this is something that our media and public have been demanding for some time," he said.

Nenzani said the agreement guaranteed CSA's financial future.