Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi left for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Annual Conference week, which will begin in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The meeting holds crucial importance for international cricket, as the controversial ‘Big Three’ plan, chalked out by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), will be implemented this week.
Additionally, suspended BCCI President N Srinivasan, who is facing charges for being allegedly involved in fixing-related activities in the Indian Premier League, is also set to become the new ICC president in the meetings that will run till Saturday.
Other than these issues, the Future Tours Programme for the next eight years will also be finalised and approved.
Among other key developments likely in Melbourne, an annual report from the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) will also be presented as there have been rumours that the ICC may disband its anti-corruption unit.
Associates unhappy with 2019 World Cup format
The ICC’s Associate nations have conveyed their ‘pressing concerns’ over the inclusion of only 10 teams in the 2019 World Cup, an issue which, according to ESPNcricinfo, will be discussed in the ICC Annual Conference.
The step has the potential to disrupt the radical plan devised by the ICC to help the top Associate nations to play Test cricket by 2018.
The ICC’s existing qualification process for the 2019 World Cup states that the two lowest-ranked Full Members will have to play a qualifying tournament along with the Associates.
An official said there was a ‘genuine risk’ of the Associate countries losing interest in ODI cricket as there was such a ‘small chance’ to qualify for the World Cup. Consequently, they may turn towards T20.
He pointed out that the Associates would play 50-over cricket only in tournaments such as the World Cricket League to just ‘go through the motions’, since the opportunity to play in a global competition such as the World Cup would be limited.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2014.
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