The ICC Executive Board held its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year at the ICC headquarters in Dubai and among the decisions they made were:
Independent Governance Review
The ICC Executive Board received a progress report from Lord Woolf of Barnes in his role as chairman of the Independent Governance Review panel. Lord Woolf, who is supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers and advised by Judge Mudgal of India, praised the Board for embracing the concept of an independent review.
Lord Woolf said: ‘Organisations, whether global companies or international sports bodies, need to take necessary steps to ensure that their house is in order otherwise they would be extremely vulnerable. I think in cricket people recognize that they have to face the challenges and will be prepared to take the decisions that will allow them to function effectively.’
The independent governance review was identified as one of the most important initiatives in the new Strategic Plan 2011-2015 that was adopted by the Board in April 2011. The scope of the review is wide and includes:
- Clarifying the role and structure of the ICC and its committees to ensure that strategic goals are met effectively and that decision-making is made in the best interests of the game. This would include consideration of independent committee members and directors
- The ICC President nomination and election process
- The Member categories and criteria for membership
- The effectiveness of the regulatory environment
- The Constitutional framework and documents to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’
- Making recommendations to ensure that the ICC enjoys a reputation as a well governed and leading global sporting organisation.
Sharad Pawar, the ICC President, said: ‘Lord Woolf is a very eminent member of the judiciary in the United Kingdom and he has a clear picture of what is required of him and his support team. He was very open and frank with the Board and that was appreciated. Lord Woolf has made a positive start to his work and while acknowledging that cricket has already achieved many great things, he noted that there were challenges and important decisions to make to ensure that we continue to succeed in the future.’
“I am also pleased that the Board has agreed to make the report public after it has met with Lord Woolf in February 2012.’
PwC and Lord Woolf will continue their review and discussions with stakeholders and even though the time frame is tight they hope to report to the ICC Executive Board at their first meeting in 2012. Until the work is completed the ICC will not be in a position to make any comments.
ICC global event 2013
The ICC Executive Board confirmed their preference to host an ICC Test Championship in 2013 but recognized the significant commercial challenge in trying to replace the Champions Trophy. Without the support and consent of the ICC’s broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the Members and the development of the game would be significant.
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: ‘It would be unfortunate if the Test Championship is delayed to 2017 but the board needs to balance several objectives.’
Decision Review System
Following recent experiences and the resultant concern about the effectiveness of Hotspot, the ICC Executive Board decided to revert to its previous position to allow the participating nations to decide bi-laterally whether they wished to use the DRS. The ICC Executive Board however, supported the use of technology and its continued development and were encouraged by certain Members who were willing to use and work towards improving the technology.
Haroon Lorgat said: ‘Although the DRS improves correct umpire decisions by around five per cent and corrects any blatant errors, there are some who are not convinced by its reliability. We will continue to work with interested parties to improve the system while permitting the participating teams to decide whether they wish to use it or not.’
The Executive Board also confirmed that DRS would be used in all ICC global events.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Qualifying system
The Board approved the new Associates and Affiliates qualifying system that would determine four teams to join the ten Full Members in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
The top two teams in the current eight team Associates and Affiliates ODI 50-over League played until October 2013 will progress automatically to the World Cup while the remaining six teams will join four other teams from the World Cricket League (i.e. teams placed 3rd and 4th in Division 2 and teams placed 1st and 2nd in Division 3) in a ten team qualifying event. The two finalists from this qualifying event will progress to the World Cup.
ICC Vice Presidency Nomination
In accordance with the current constitutional requirements of the ICC, the ICC Executive Board asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to submit their nomination for the ICC Vice Presidency 2012-14.
