ICC backs ´principles´ behind cricket shake-up
LONDON: World cricket was set for a shake-up after the first day of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Dubai on Tuesday gave "unanimous support" for a set of principles relating to the future structure, governance and financial models of the ICC.
Leaked draft proposals from the sport´s most financially powerful ´Big Three´ nations argued for more power to be placed in the hands of cricket boards in India, England and Australia.
"There will be an opportunity for all Members to play all formats of cricket on merit, with participation based on meritocracy; no immunity to any country, and no change to membership status," the ICC statement said.
But the statement was clear in signalling the end of the proposed World Test Championship, which never looked like getting sufficient commercial or broadcast support to become a reality. Its delayed launch was supposed to take place in England in 2017 but instead it has been replaced by the one-day Champions Trophy, the ´mini´ World Cup whose final edition was meant to have been staged in England last year.
While resistance from the other seven of the sport´s leading 10 Test nations appears to have seen some of these plans watered down, a core plan to give the ´Big Three´ a greater say in the running of the world game remains on course to take effect.
These include the formation of a new five-man executive committee, with three seats reserved for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA).
