Under attack for flexing its financial muscle in world cricket, the BCCI received support from the ICC which said India was like any of the 13 members in its Executive Board.
“The BCCI is one of 13 members on the ICC Executive Board and the Chief Executives Committee. All 13 members have equal standing and exercise their minds on a range of issues affecting international cricket and all 13 have a vote on the Board,” ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat was quoted by PTI.
The BCCI has been sharply criticised by some of the veterans of the game in various countries for using its financial might to have its way in the ICC. The latest to join the growing chorus have been England’s Geoffery Boycott and West Indies great Michael Holding. Lorgat sought to dismiss apprehensions that the BCCI has become too influential in the ICC.
“That (Executive Board) is the forum for members to voice their opinions on how the game should be run and collectively we arrive at decisions,” he explained. But Lorgat did concede that it took a lot of convincing to ensure that the BCCI accepted the controversial Decision Review System which has been improvised to address Indian concerns.
“It is evident that the BCCI needs convincing on the accuracy and reliability of ball tracking technology and that is what we have agreed to do. The good news is that we now have DRS as mandatory and we can only improve from this point onwards,” he said. Now that the DRS has been made mandatory, the ICC is also considering bringing in sponsors to fund the cost of installing the system.
“Sponsorship of the DRS is now indeed an opportunity that we can fully explore. It may be possible for us to secure a sponsor to cover the global costs of the system, but let’s not forget that some Members have already implemented the DRS successfully,” Lorgat said.
“However, now that all Members are in favour of the system we will be in a position to investigate all options for funding the system,” he added. Lorgat also sought to dispel the notion that IPL has been given a window in the international cricket calendar, saying the issue did not even crop up in the governing body’s annual conference nor did the BCCI push for it.
