The Int'l Cricket Council has agreed "in principle" to reverse the '14 decision which "effectively put India, England and Australia in control of the game's finances and administration," according to Amlan Chakraborty of REUTERS. The Board of Control for Cricket in India "unsurprisingly" voted against the new proposal after "failing to defer the vote in a three-day ICC board meeting that concluded in Dubai on Saturday." Vikram Limaye, representing the BCCI at the meeting, "sought to defer the vote" on the proposal until the next meeting in April, saying his body had "insufficient time to evaluate it." The ICC board "will take a final decision on a new financial model and governance structure at the April meeting, the governing body said in a statement." Former BCCI President Shashank Manohar, who is now chair of the ICC, "has been critical" of the '14 changes, which he felt "allowed the three major countries to bully the ICC." Manohar said in a statement, "I want the ICC to be reasonable and fair in our approach to all 105 Members and the revised constitution and financial model does that" (REUTERS, 2/5).
DRS GETS GREEN LIGHT: In London, Nick Hoult reported the ICC has "taken advantage" of the fact the BCCI is "in turmoil" after the country’s Supreme Court sacked its president and last week appointed a temporary panel to run its affairs. The ICC "has also agreed to the unilateral use" of the Decision Review System in int'l cricket after years of opposition from India was ended by Indian captain Virat Kohli "agreeing to the use of the system in the recent Test series against England." DRS "will also be used in the World Twenty20 with one review per side." The ICC also authorized the anti-corruption unit the "power to extract information from cell phones, potentially allowing them access to messages on services such as WhatsApp." Major changes to the make-up of bilateral cricket with the introduction of a Test championship every two years and a one-day league "look set to be approved in April" (TELEGRAPH, 2/4). DAWN reported the "top brass of the ICC identified a preferred model for all three formats of the sport." This framework "accommodates existing agreements" which will be presented to the ICC Board for full consideration in April. According to the framework, a nine-team Test league will be run over a two-year cycle. The remaining three Test teams "will be guaranteed a consistent and confirmed schedule of Test matches against all other teams." Similarly, a 13-team one-day int'l league will be run over a three-year period leading to the qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 (DAWN, 2/5).
REVAMP WELCOMED: In Sydney, Jon Pierik reported Cricket Australia Chair David Peever "has welcomed the in-principle revamp" of the Test and ODI formats as the world "awaits India's next move on a proposed new revenue model." Peever: "There was a collaborative approach to the issues, with all directors agreeing that this is our opportunity to make changes that will strengthen the sport for all members. These are complex matters and it is right and proper that we ensure all members have the time to understand their impact, so that they can balance the demands of the sport in their own countries whilst providing governance and financial models that benefit the global game." ICC CEO Dave Richardson said that a top-nine system "was the ideal number." Richardson said, "The reason for nine is because it's perfect -- over a two-year period you can have eight series, four home and four away. It doesn't work if the number is even" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/5).
