Int'l Cricket Council Chair N. Srinivasan's "tumultuous tenure" as the ICC chair was "cut short" on Monday after the "powerful" Board of Control for Cricket in India withdrew support for its former president, according to Amlan Chakraborty of REUTERS. BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said that BCCI President Shashank Manohar "would take over" for the remainder of Srinivasan's tenure until June. Often described as the sport's "most powerful man," Srinivasan took over as ICC head in June '14 in "controversial circumstances" after his son-in-law was indicted in an illegal betting scandal in the Indian Premier League. The BCCI also dropped former test player Roger Binny from the selection panel as his son Stuart plays for India, primarily in limited overs cricket. Manohar: "Perception has to change. There should not be injustice with Stuart Binny also. He is a deserving player. He should not draw flak from media because he is Roger Binny's son." In other moves, the Indian board appointed an ombudsman to "look into cases of conflict of interest and approved six new test match venues" (REUTERS, 11/9). In London, Crabtree & Moore reported the move marks the "latest attempt to repair the sport’s scandal-plagued reputation in its largest global market." Srinivasan's removal "follows earlier steps to improve cricket’s image in India," notably the suspension this year of two IPL teams caught up in the '13 scandal, including the Chennai Super Kings, which Srinivasan controlled. Srinivasan was widely criticized for "pushing through the divisive institutional shake-up" at the ICC before his appointment. The shake-up gave "far greater" organizational clout to India, as well as England and Australia, at the expense of "smaller and less financially powerful cricketing nations." Tuesday's decision also follows a "bitter power struggle for control of the BCCI after the death of its previous chairman in September," which resulted in Manohar taking over as the body’s head last month (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/9). FIRSTPOST reported with his sacking as ICC chair, Srinivasan now "only remains the president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association." The appointment with the "biggest potential for change" is that of former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, AP Shah, who was been appointed the board's first ever ombudsman to avoid "bias in decision making" and handle code of conduct complaints (FIRSTPOST, 11/9).
WELCOME DECISION: In New Delhi, N. Ananthanarayanan opined the decision of the new Indian cricket board bosses to remove Srinivasan as the ICC chair "is welcome, even if it was expected and a natural progression to what has happened within the most influential national body in the game." The removal will "not only end the Chennai industrialist’s grip on world cricket, it will provide relief from his autocratic style of functioning." While "India's grip on the game at world level will stay," it is the intent shown by Manohar in cleaning the system within BCCI that could make a "big difference" (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 11/9).
