England, India and Australia are "set to have more control over cricket's future under principles agreed by the International Cricket Council," according to the BBC. The creation of a new ICC exec committee of five members, including representatives from the big three nations, "received unanimous support from the 16-man board." The board "has made the decision to scrap the World Test Championship," scheduled for England in '17, but "a special fund is being created to help keep that five-day game alive" (BBC, 1/28). The AFP reported Pakistan Cricket Board Chair Zaka Ashraf said on Tuesday that his board, along with South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, "were united in opposing plans to revamp the game's governing body." Proposals under discussion at the two-day ICC board meeting in Dubai on Tuesday and Wednesday "would effectively cede control of the sport" to the big three. Ashraf: "Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, we all have one stance. Let us see what we vote inside. We will stick to our stance" (AFP, 1/28). The PTI reported the Board of Control for Cricket in India "also wants an ICC event every two years in India and also wants to overrule the ICC’s FTP (Future Tours & Programme) by engaging into direct discussions with respective cricket boards for bilateral series." Also, there would be discussions on creating a post of ICC chairman, which "would rotate between the BCCI, CA and ECB" with BCCI President N. Srinivasan "being the hot favourite to become the first chairman" (PTI, 1/28). The TIMES OF INDIA reported "in an apparent expression of his distaste" for the BCCI's plans to structurally revamp the ICC's functioning, a Bangladeshi cricket fan "hacked the board's website" Sunday night. Calling himself ''Ashik Iqbal,'' the hacker "cut through the security on bcci.tv and posted a short banner" over the main news headline that read, "Hacked by Ashik Iqbal Chy." On the ''About Us'' page, the hacker "posted a photo of the Bangladesh team running with the national flag" with a message in red and green stating, "Don't MesS UP WitH TiGeRs (sic)!" (TIMES OF INDIA, 1/28). The PTI reported global anti-corruption organization Transparency Int'l "expressed serious concern at the reform proposals of the ICC, saying it violates the 'principles of good governance' and could lead to increase in 'corruption' within the game." TI chapters from nine cricket-playing countries, including India, England and Australia, claimed "these proposals substantially depart from the principles of good governance and appear to heighten the risk of corruption within the game of cricket." TI "called on the ICC to publish a formal response to the Woolf Report and halt any other significant governance reforms in the meantime" (PTI, 1/28).
