The ICC has announced it will carry out a complete constitutional
review of the changes brought about by the "Big Three" takeover in 2014.
Moves have already begun to dismantle the system of governance proposed
by the BCCI, ECB and CA two years ago, with confirmation of the
expected change to make the ICC chairman an independent position.
The outcomes from the ICC board meeting on Wednesday also included
removing permanent positions for India, England and Australia on the
Executive Committee and the Financial & Commercial Affairs Committee
- the ICC's two most powerful forums.
In a statement, the ICC said the board had "agreed to carry out a
complete review of the 2014 resolutions and constitutional changes with a
view to establishing governance, finance, corporate and cricketing
structures that are appropriate and effective for the strategic role and
function of the ICC and all of its members".
C, the BCCI president who is also currently serving as ICC chairman,
signalled his intention to roll back the changes overseen by his
predecessor N Srinivasan in an interview last year, when he referred to
"the three major countries bullying the ICC". Manohar will now head the
five-man steering group set up to conduct the review, with an aim of
putting forward recommendations at the ICC's annual conference in June.
Alongside Manohar on the steering group will be ECB president Giles
Clarke, in his role as chairman of the F&CA Committee. Clarke was
one of the architects of the ICC revamp - which resulted in a greater
share of revenue for the three main boards - and had been expected to
run for the position of chairman. The rest of the group will comprise
heads of the ICC's Governance Review Committee, Executive Committee and
Associate/Affiliate Member group: Nazmul Hassan, David Peever and Andrew
Armitage respectively.
he introduction of an independent chairman was intended to "avoid any
potential conflicts of interest and to follow best practice principles
of good governance". The ICC's next chairman, to be elected later this
year, will no longer be able to hold a position on their home board, as
Srinivasan and subsequently Manohar did.
Candidates to succeed Manohar must have served as an ICC director.
The chairman will be able to serve for a maximum of three two-year
terms.
Manohar said the board had agreed on a need for greater transparency
and would reinstate the practice of Full Member boards presenting their
audited accounts to the ICC on an annual basis. Three of the board's
four annual meetings will now take place outside of the UAE, where the
ICC is headquartered, with the Annual Conference set to be held in
Edinburgh from June 27 to July 2.
"We had very purposeful and positive meetings, and the decisions
taken clearly reflect that we collectively want to improve the
governance in a transparent manner, not only of the ICC but also the
Member Boards," Manohar said. "This, in turn, will enhance the image and
quality of the sport. No Member of the ICC is bigger than the other and
I am determined to make a meaningful contribution in this regard with
support of all the Members."
Other areas addressed during the board meeting in Dubai included an
update on the cricket's potential viability as an Olympic sport, which
concluded that further work was required; and the establishment of an
Anti-Corruption Oversight Group, which includes former India batsman
Rahul Dravid, to annually review strategies to fight corruption.
The ICC has also reinstated Sri Lanka Cricket's full membership. SLC
had been stripped of its voting rights at the ICC table in April last
year, when the ICC took a dim view of a politically appointed board in
Sri Lanka. That board was dissolved and elections held early in January.
The ICC also said "SLC is now entitled to full funding", after having
kept payments due to SLC in escrow last year.
The USA Cricket Association remains suspended, although the ICC has
approved development and high-performance projects for 2016, to be
funded from a "special projects" budget.
A change has been made to the qualification process for the 2018
Under-19 World Cup, with the highest-placed Associate team from the
ongoing tournament in Bangladesh being given an automatic spot,
alongside the ten-Test playing nations. The remaining five sides will
qualify through the regional qualifying tournaments.
ICC to examine cricket calendar
Alongside its governance review, the ICC will begin trying to unpick
the game's tangled schedule in order to build a "clearer cricket
calendar with greater context".
The board is due to examine the balance of international cricket
versus domestic T20 leagues - the latest of which, the PSL, starts this
week - and the positioning of the three formats: Test, ODI and T20.
Among the changes wrought by the ICC in 2014 was the abolition of the
Future Tours Programme. Since then, tours have been arranged through
bilateral agreements, without the involvement of the ICC.
Players and broadcasters are likely to be among those consulted over
coming months, with presentations on "various cricketing models" due to
be made to the board.