Richardson happy about BCCI role in ICC

International Cricket Council CEO, Dave Richardson, felt that N Srinivasan’s elevation as the chairman of the ICC from June this year will help in taking the game forward.

 “I think it is too early to say,” Richardson said here on Friday when asked about expectations from the all powerful BCCI president. “Mr Srinivasan will come in as chairman only in June. As the CEO of the organisation which he chairs, I will be having regular meetings with him. What I like about the position is that the BCCI will be very much part of the governance structure, playing a full role in developing the strategy going forward.”

The former South African wicketkeeper felt unlike in the past when the BCCI stayed away from strategising, the Indian Board will be actively involved in making key policy decisions. “Their approach was always to sit outside, not to partake in developing strategy. They left that to the other people. Now for the first time, they have taken the responsibility on their shoulders to lead in developing the strategy,”

“I think that in any organisation, you want your members of influence to take responsibility, to be accountable for the decisions and the strategies that get determined. And to be held accountable going forward. If you have influential members who are not taking that responsibility, that’s where you will develop problems,” he explained.

 In the light of the controversial structural changes to the ICC administration that provide greater share of revenue and a bigger say in the governing body’s matters to BCCI and to a lesser extent to England and Australia, Richardson was asked as to how far the ICC will go to accede to Indian Board’s demands.

“It’s a negotiation,” he said. “Not so much (with the) ICC but essentially, it is a negotiation between the members and because it is their revenues and they have to decide how they have to distribute it amongst themselves. I don’t know where you draw the line. In any negotiation, I always find once the deal gets done, once you’ve agreed to sign and buy the house, you always think you could have done a better deal. But you run the risk of losing the deal if you don’t agree. The fact is that the negotiation was done,” he clarified pointing out that the ICC was a body that took care of implementing the deals that are struck between member nations.

 Richardson also revealed that ICC was in the process of bringing in some amendments to anti-corruption code that will help in the reintegration of players banned for malpractices. “There are some amendments being considered to the anti-corruption code and one of those amendments deals with how do we reintegrate banned players back into cricket.

So, if someone is banned for five years, can he come and play domestic cricket or club cricket a little bit earlier? So that when his five-year ban internationally expires, he can resume his career. So the revised code will deal with that, but it’s not dealing specifically with an individual case. This will be a principle that will be applied to all people who may be banned, now or in the future.”

Richardson said the amendment will apply to cricketers from all such cricketers, including India, and that it will come into effect this June.