ICC warns of sanctions in the face of govt interference

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been given a maximum of two years to reorganise their boards after the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered its members to free themselves from government interference or face sanctions. Political pitch

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been given a maximum of two years to reorganise their boards after the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered its members to free themselves from government interference or face sanctions.

HT Image

The ICC annual conference upheld a constitutional amendment to provide for the principle of free elections and the independence of member boards, cricket’s governing body said in a statement on Thursday.

“It was agreed that all member boards must implement the provisions before annual conference in June 2012 and a further 12 months (to June 2013) would be allowed before any sanctions would be considered,” the statement read.

"It was a well-established principle of modern sporting governance that national federations should be free from interference from government."

The decision means administrative reforms will be required in at least three Test playing nations. In Pakistan, the cricket board chief is appointed by the country’s president. Sri Lanka Cricket has an interim body which requires issues such as team selection to be approved by the sports ministry, while the Bangladesh board chief is appointed by the government.

Lorgat also defended the decision to abolish “runners” in ODIs, suggesting batsmen were using them to cheat. “There has been a strong feeling that runners were used not in the right spirit,” Lorgat told.