By Ali Martin /The Guardian
The International Cricket Council could be set to undergo a fresh restructure after its new chairman, Shashank Manohar, gave a damning appraisal of last year’s constitutional changes that saw India, Australia and England take control of world cricket.
Manohar, who replaced N Srinivasan as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in October and took his place as ICC chairman earlier this month , has criticised the “bullying” nature of the governing body that sees those three countries hold permanent roles on key committees and take a larger share of the revenue from global events.
“I don’t agree with the three major countries bullying the ICC,” said Manohar in an interview with the Hindu newspaper. “That’s my personal view, because as I have always said, an institution is bigger than individuals. You cannot guarantee which individual will occupy the top position in either of these countries.
“And, the ICC constitution, as it stands today, says that in all the major committees of the ICC, these three countries will be automatically there. So all the financial and commercial aspects and the executive committee will be controlled by the representatives of these three countries, which according to me is wrong. You should have the best man, whether he comes from Zimbabwe, or West Indies, or even from an associate or affiliate [member] to work on a committee, who will promote the interests of the ICC.”
On the breakdown of ICC revenues, he added: “I don’t agree with the revenue-sharing formula, because it’s nice to say that India [BCCI] will get 22% of the total revenue of the ICC, but you cannot make the poor poorer and the rich richer, only because you have the clout. The ICC runs cricket throughout the world.”
During his first two months in charge of Indian cricket, Manohar has embarked on a crusade against supposed conflicts of interest within the BCCI ranks and has recently published a list of rules that prevent employees holding external roles that have any commercial interest in the board’s activities.
Now the 58-year-old, while claiming to be speaking in a personal capacity, could be set to make similar changes at the ICC after claiming dual roles such as his own would, in an ideal world, not exist.
“When I am at the ICC as a BCCI representative, it’s my paramount duty to protect the interests of the BCCI; then how can I protect the interests of the ICC, sitting as its chairman?” he said.
“If there is a conflict between the interests of the BCCI and the ICC, I will have to protect the interest of the BCCI. Then I am failing in my duty, sitting there as chairman of the ICC and not protecting its interests.”
Manohar went to state that Giles Clarke, who represents the England and Wales Cricket Board at the ICC and was one the architects of the so-called big three takeover last year along with Srinivasan and the now retired Wally Edwards of Australia, is in agreement with him on these matters.
