BOMBAY, 17 December 2005 — The International Cricket Council may be headed by an Asian, Ehsan Mani of Pakistan, to be precise, but for all practical purposes, the entire show is run by a team of professionals, who travel round the world and draw fat salaries and allowances.
Just before India’s Jagmohan Dalmiya was to be elected ICC president in 2001, the previous regimes made these appointments, all of them from England and Australia. As things stand, the Chief Executive of the ICC, Malcolm Speed has given unto himself the power to run the world body as he likes. Today Mani enjoys respect but no authority.
The system in place suits the two important members, Australia and England. In fact the present CEO Malcolm Speed and his predecessor David Richards, were both the head of Cricket Australia and, once their terms were over, they took this highly-paid job. Speed succeeded Richards. If a CEO is necessary, why is it not a selective post.
Not surprisingly, therefore, that the ICC invariably acts in a prejudiced manner which smacks of racism. The present head, Mani, has an excellent rapport with most members of the ICC, especially India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the West Indies and South Africa, who form a powerful lobby when it comes to voting. The day-to-day functioning of the organization, however, is in the hands of these salaried administrators. The criticism of the ICC is mostly directed toward these self-appointed, parallel power structure.
The latest to hit out at the ICC is the former Pakistan captain and the greatest left-arm pace bowler of all time, Wasim Akram. Not given to unnecessarily raising a controversy, Akram accused the ICC of racial prejudice.
Whenever disciplinary or corrective action is to be taken against cricketers, it is only the Asians who become the victims. The infamous Mike Denness incident in South Africa four years ago, is a case in point. Six Indian players were suspended for what the English match-referee had called “excessive appealing.” In the same series, South African Andre Nell got away with worst form of indiscipline in as much as he repeatedly abused the batsmen after completing a delivery. His follow-through ended within a yard of the batsman. Dalmiya, who was the ICC president then had set aside the decision and eventually made the ICC drop the suspension, except that of Virendra Sehwag.
When it comes to chucking also, it is always the Asian bowler who is guilty. The list includes Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ali and Shoaib Malik, Harbhajan Singh, Rajesh Chauhan and above all Muttiah Muralitharan. Brett Lee and others were not reported even once.
The present list of elite international umpires has only two Asians. A dozen are from England and Australia alone.
This treatment is not just unfair but something that hurts the Asians. It was the regime of Dalmiya that helped boost the finances of the ICC from which it is able to pay so many supernumerary officials’ salaries. Even the present chief of ICC Ehsan Mani is doing everything within his power to enhance the existing funds of the ICC by talking to the Indian and his own country’s governments on tax exemptions for international tournaments, as also for the right of exclusiveness for the holder of the world TV rights. Almost eighty percent of the revenue from sponsorship and TV advertisement comes from India. It is high time that ICC’s administrative set-up is rationalized. There are too many free-booters. There is one who draws salaries and perks from ICC and also works for Cricket Australia. Money comes from both but where his loyalties are, we do not know.
