It is almost two months since Shashank Manohar stepped down as ICC chairman. The ICC Board, which is supposed to finalise the election protocol, has met several times, but is yet to agree on any process, let alone choosing a unanimous candidate.
According to Heath Mills, some of the directors at the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), the delay is “unacceptable”. Mills, who could also be the CEO of the New Zealand Players Organization, says the ICC Board must be mullling over the future health of the game and how it must evolve quite than dealing with politics that hurt all stakeholders including players and fans.
What do you are making of the delay in the ICC failing to nominate a new chairman?
This is a very disappointing situation this present day with the lack of leadership at international level in our sport. This is a very naughty reflection on the game in truth. The preceding chairman [Manohar] stepped down a few months ago now, but prior to that I am not certain how busy he was once there for some time.
And sadly it seems that that the ICC Board can’t even organise itself to decide a process to elect a new chairman, let alone nominate someone. It is truly disappointing particularly at this specific juncture in time when we need global leadership provided the ongoing affect of Covid-19 on many countries and the fact the current events cycle ends in a few years. Electing a chairperson for any board must be a pretty basic democratic election process and the truth that can’t be achieved must have all cricket people concerned.
Yes, the ICC was once in the midst of finalising global events for the new cycle beginning after the 2023 World Cup.
The current events cycle is going to finish soon in just over two years and we currently have no idea what the ICC events schedule will be post-2023. We do not realize what the FTP looks like post-2023 for both the men’s and women’s games. We do not know the way ICC events are going to slot in with that FTP or how both these international programmes are going to fit with the big [domestic] T20 events.
This is the time when we need a global body that are supposed to be trying to cause everyone together to decide a schedule that works for the whole game including men, women, full members, associate members and the big T20 leagues. Yet the ICC Board can not seem to even sort out who’s going to receive to chair it.
Frankly I just think that’s just unacceptable. Someone needs to rise up and provide an explanation for to the cricketing stakeholders why they are able to’t agree a process, and why the entire secrecy? The ICC Board, if they find it irresistible or not, effectively represents the entire more than a few cricketing stakeholders world wide. They have got a high office and they want to be accountable. We just hope they are able to get together, agree a process, elect the leader and stop any games occurring at the back of the scenes. At the present time it just sort of feels like everyone’s in a state of inertia.
Why do you think there is this kind of impasse?
The ICC say they’re a global governing body so everyone involved on the planet game looks to them to lead us. And yet when you hear that they haven’t even been in a position to agree a process to elect a chairman it doesn’t give people confidence in those running the sport. It just makes you suspicious of what is going in the background and that people are acting in self-interest as we’ve seen such a lot of times prior to now. It’s just more of the same and it is sad.
Possibly it is time look at the governance constitution. There are 17 [directors] on the ICC Board and only one of them (Indra Nooyi) is independent at moment. So, of class lesson, you are probably going to receive that dynamic where people act in their own interest and not in what is best for the sport globally.
“From the players’ perspective the yearly calendar is very, very full and at times lacks context and meaning. The answer to us isn’t necessarily more ICC events.”
With no global event until October 2021, don’t you think the ICC can utilise this period not just planning events in the post-2023 cycle but also how the game must evolve?
Post-2023, as we sit down here today, there is no cricket scheduled. It’s not that far absent. The players and fans, they wish to have confidence in those people who find themselves leading our sport so that you could do the correct object for everyone. Provided what’s going on at ICC Board level this present day you haven’t any confidence that we’re going to get good outcomes.
We do not know the way many ICC events there will be in the next cycle or who is even organising the next FTP and which teams will be involved. Importantly, how are those two important components of our playing schedule going to coexist with the big T20 leagues like the IPL? All of these important events and programmes seem like they will be organised independent of one another again, which is hopeless.
We never seem to take these opportunities to work together to receive the most efficient outcomes for the sport. We all know the way the member boards wish to claim sovereignty and worry approximately themselves but in the end we all need every other for the game to really thrive. This is the one time when we have a chance to map out a schedule that considers all factors and work together to receive the most efficient alignment of all three event components. This is the time we need the ICC Board to be functioning timely, to be well-led and to verify the game has a schedule that makes sense to everyone post-2023.
The ICC management was once planning to have extra events in the new events cycle from 2023. What’s the FICA view?
We are at all times in favour of ICC events because they have got context and are fundamental for a lot of the boards and player groups world wide for the shared revenue they generate. Alternatively, the number of events we have must be balanced alongside a meaningful FTP, also the big T20 leagues.
From the players’ perspective the yearly calendar is very, very full and at times lacks context and meaning. The answer to us isn’t necessarily more ICC events. Whether that is the answer in and of itself we’re asking the fallacious question. It is approximately how do we fit the ICC events with the FTP and the big T20 leagues. That’s the more important question. You’ll’t look at any of those things in isolation to receive the most efficient results for the game overall globally.
Some might ask, why is the FICA concerned approximately the delay in appointment of the ICC chairman and global events?
FICA represents the majority of players world wide and they (ICC) do generally tend to rely on the players to help them generate reasonably numerous revenue. The players, both professional and amateur, together with the fans and a lot of administrators world wide have in truth got reasonably a lot riding on our leaders and how they shape the game one day. So I would hope that they would listen to those most affected by their decisions and start to receive organised better.