Kamlesh Barjati
Banned
- Joined
- 26 May 2011
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- 1,087
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The ICC will only allow government intervention in cricket in matters related to security, its chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said. The ICC agreed, at its annual conference in Hong Kong which concluded on Thursday, to a proposal seeking an amendment in the constitution that all member boards should hold free elections in a bid to demorcatise the governance of the game and do away with political or government interference. But that did not apply to security matters, Lorgat clarified.
"Only in one case the ICC will allow government to interfere with the affairs of the member board: when the security issues are involved between the two countries, and if any national squad do not tour any other country on security grounds the ICC will accept government's writ," Lorgat told Dawn newspaper. Cricket tours to countries have been called off due to government directives, with Australia not touring Pakistan in the past and England refusing to play in Zimbabwe, most notably in the 2003 World Cup.
The boards most affected by the ICC's decision are the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket, though everyone has, effectively until 2013, to comply with the provisions of free elections and no political interference in their respective constitutions. The PCB chairman is appointed by the president of the country; all board presidents in Bangladesh are government-appointed and in Sri Lanka, the board answers directly to the sports ministry, which, on Friday, dissolved SLC's interim committee and appointed a new one.
The PCB had objected to the ICC's proposal in April, sending a legal notice. In particular the PCB had raised in arguments this very point, about government involvement in security matters as evidence that there may be grey areas as a result of the amendment. But a compromise was worked in meetings before the annual conference where it was granted a deadline until 2013. During this period, the boards can discuss and try to resolve any potential problems of implementing the decision. The support for the amendment, Lorgat said, was unanimous.
"Every member country supported the amendment and it was required to power the member countries to have a free elections system, to hold a democratic process in the administration, which can strengthen the leadership of the board; and thanks every member supported it," he said. When asked if the PCB supported it as well, Lorgat said: "Everyone".
The PCB will be discussing the amendment with the government. "How we implement this reform will depend on our talks with the government," its chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told reporters following his arrival in Pakistan from Hong Kong.
The ICC had appointed a Pakistan Task Force (PTT) with its initial aim being to examine ways to ensure international cricket returned to Pakistan, but its objectives were broadened in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal to also promote an improvement in governance by the PCB. Lorgat said the task force, led by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, had submitted its state of affairs report and along with it some recommendations, and its role had ended.
"Now it comes to its logical ending and we have provided full report of the task force to the PCB, which has a series of recommendations," Lorgat said. "It has many parts; one also relates to the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in 2009 while another concerns spot-fixing issues surfaced in Lord's Test [between Pakistan and England] in August 2010."
What if the recommendations suggested a return of international cricket in Pakistan? "Then the ICC will encourage the visiting country to go to Pakistan, but again we will accept government's directives over safety and security issues."
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/521659.html
"Only in one case the ICC will allow government to interfere with the affairs of the member board: when the security issues are involved between the two countries, and if any national squad do not tour any other country on security grounds the ICC will accept government's writ," Lorgat told Dawn newspaper. Cricket tours to countries have been called off due to government directives, with Australia not touring Pakistan in the past and England refusing to play in Zimbabwe, most notably in the 2003 World Cup.
The boards most affected by the ICC's decision are the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket, though everyone has, effectively until 2013, to comply with the provisions of free elections and no political interference in their respective constitutions. The PCB chairman is appointed by the president of the country; all board presidents in Bangladesh are government-appointed and in Sri Lanka, the board answers directly to the sports ministry, which, on Friday, dissolved SLC's interim committee and appointed a new one.
The PCB had objected to the ICC's proposal in April, sending a legal notice. In particular the PCB had raised in arguments this very point, about government involvement in security matters as evidence that there may be grey areas as a result of the amendment. But a compromise was worked in meetings before the annual conference where it was granted a deadline until 2013. During this period, the boards can discuss and try to resolve any potential problems of implementing the decision. The support for the amendment, Lorgat said, was unanimous.
"Every member country supported the amendment and it was required to power the member countries to have a free elections system, to hold a democratic process in the administration, which can strengthen the leadership of the board; and thanks every member supported it," he said. When asked if the PCB supported it as well, Lorgat said: "Everyone".
The PCB will be discussing the amendment with the government. "How we implement this reform will depend on our talks with the government," its chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told reporters following his arrival in Pakistan from Hong Kong.
The ICC had appointed a Pakistan Task Force (PTT) with its initial aim being to examine ways to ensure international cricket returned to Pakistan, but its objectives were broadened in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal to also promote an improvement in governance by the PCB. Lorgat said the task force, led by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, had submitted its state of affairs report and along with it some recommendations, and its role had ended.
"Now it comes to its logical ending and we have provided full report of the task force to the PCB, which has a series of recommendations," Lorgat said. "It has many parts; one also relates to the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in 2009 while another concerns spot-fixing issues surfaced in Lord's Test [between Pakistan and England] in August 2010."
What if the recommendations suggested a return of international cricket in Pakistan? "Then the ICC will encourage the visiting country to go to Pakistan, but again we will accept government's directives over safety and security issues."
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/521659.html
