BOMBAY, 5 May 2006 — Is the 10-3 vote in favor of the Asian group’s bid for the 2011 World Cup indicative of the true balance of power in the International Cricket Council ? If one goes by most decisions on other issues, it may not be so. Take, for instance, the appointment of umpires on the elite panel or the list of match referees. All other cricket-playing nations, except those of the subcontinent, seem to get a favored treatment.
How is it, then, when it came to voting on the next World Cup bid, the Asian proposal got overwhelming support.
The fact of the matter is money. The greater the income from the World Cup, the richer the affiliated members of the ICC get. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh jointly put up a financial bid that could never be matched by even the more affluent ones, Australia and New Zealand. The difference between the two bids was not just marginal but enormous.
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka had earlier hosted the 1996 World Cup, and India and Pakistan had jointly succeeded in taking the event for the first time out of England in 1987. Both these editions of the World Cup had earned record profits for the ICC and that subsequently percolated to the other members.
Over the years, almost 80 percent of the income out of television rights and in-stadia advertisements came from India alone. And now with economic cooperation with Pakistan growing fast, the bounty is going to be even more. And there is no doubt that new entrant Bangladesh boast of passion for the game that is second to none. It is the only game in the country that gets top sponsorship.
There were, however, some doubts over the present Asian bid because it was forwarded a bit late and this point was raised during the crucial meeting in Dubai recently. But since the bid was legally accepted, this protest was instantly dismissed.
Although they had sworn to be neutral, the fact that the top hierarchy of the ICC was headed by diverse interests was inescapable The chairman of the ICC, Ehsan Mani is a Pakistani and its chief executive, Malcolm Speed, an Australian. The attending member- countries, however, had the last say in the matter.
One could sense a sour-grapes syndrome when Malcolm Speed, while commenting on the ultimate vote, said “Money is not everything.
We have to see other things as well.” Money is everything, Mr. Speed. The ICC is bleeding the life of cricketers the world over to make as much as it possibly can. On all contracts, the ICC takes away the cream. Even the $1 billion World Cup that the Asian countries have promised it would be, will provide a bonanza for the ICC. This is not to say that everything is savy in the subcontinent. There is tremendous scope for improvement in all four countries with regard to facilities for media and the spectators, including thousands who will be coming from other countries. Upgrade of the facilities is the need of the hour and it can never start a day too soon.
The new regime in India is providing the right direction for others to follow. The passion for the game has to be turned into a kind of sophistication that will please all.
