India's Champions Trophy participation in jeopardy?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) towering influence in world cricket came to a screeching halt as the majority voted for a change in the ICC's Governance and Revenue structures. BCCI lost the vote on governance and constitutional changes by a 2-12 margin while the revenue model, which was the bigger bone of contention, was passed 13 votes to one.
Out-voted in its opposition to dilute the Big Three structure, BCCI's revenue now has been nearly halved. The Indian board will now receive $293m across the eight-year cycle while the England and Wales Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket will get $143m and $94m respectively, confirmed ICC in a media release on Thursday (April 27). The rest of the seven full members will be receiving $132m each while the Associate members will get a funding of $280m.
"This is another step forward for world cricket and I look forward to concluding the work at the Annual Conference," Manohar stated in the ICC release. "I am confident we can provide a strong foundation for the sport to grow and improve globally in the future through the adoption of the revised financial model and governance structure."
BCCI had been adamant on getting the lion's share out of ICC's revenue on grounds that it contributes the most to the coffers, and is bargaining for the same figure ($570 million) that it received under the Big Three revenue model, which now stands discarded.
Burgeoning domestic T20 leagues are becoming obstacles as cricket administrators try and find a way to make Test and ODI leagues work in a new international calendar. And more than just a logistical issue, the problem seems to cut right to the heart of wider debates about the relevance of the international game. One of the proposals to resolve the conflict, suggested by ICC general manager cricket Geoff Allardice, is to schedule fewer Test matches. Chief executives of Full Member boards met this week in Dubai to discuss a Future Tours Programme (FTP) model they produced in March, but which is already looking unviable. The proposed FTP is the result of a scheduling summit that built on plans to introduce a 12-team Test league played over two years, and a 13-team ODI league played over three. Those plans were approved at ICC meetings in February. But ICC management has identified a number of issues with the calendar and has told Members that, as it stands, the schedule means the new structures will not be approved by the ICC Board. "In summary, the schedule developed by Members is too congested, and the competition models that CEC [chief executives committee] identified in February cannot be recommended to the ICC Board for approval if they are to be accompanied by this schedule," Allardice wrote in an assessment of the schedules seen by ESPNcricinfo.
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Barbados brushed aside Windward Islands to take control of the Women’s Regional Super50 while Trinidad and Tobago kept Jamaica winless, following the fourth round of the competition here Wednesday.
In a clash of the tournament’s two unbeaten teams, Barbados used their potent pace attack to good effect to set up a comfortable by six-wicket victory at Arnos Vale Stadium, and leapfrog their opponents to the top of the points standings.
Sent in, Windwards were restricted to 83 all out off 24.3 overs, with Nerissa Crafton getting 26 and Quiana Joseph, 25.
West Indies fast bowler Shamilia Connell extended her excellent form in the tournament by grabbing four for 15 from six overs while new-ball partner Shakera Selman, who also wears international colours, supported with two for 16.
The pair ripped the heart out of the Windwards with a devastating opening burst, reducing the innings to the strife of 15 for six in the 10th over before Crafton and Joseph put on a face-saving 58 for the eighth wicket.
For a change, let’s talk cricket. Not the politics of cricket mind you. The distinction needs to be made because so much of what we read and speak about these days is taking place away from the pitch. In the past week for instance, there was Darren Bravo’s decision to get legal with the West Indies Cricket Board in his now five-month long standoff with its president, Dave Cameron. And on the weekend, news leaked that Brian Lara wants one of the stands at the new Cricket Academy in Tarouba named after Sachin Tendulkar. Go back a little further, and there was Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s hijacking claim against what he called a clique within the WICB/Cricket West Indies and his assertion that, “unless there are drastic changes to the current arrangements, West Indies cricket will never get back to where we expect it to be.” I’ll sum up all of that by saying this: Blah, blah, blah!If it could take more than five months to settle matters over a tweet, then one has to wonder if the business of Bravo’s playing cricket for West Indies is really a priority for either the player or the WICB president. As for the Tendulkar Stand brouhaha, why people place such value on naming things after others is beyond me.
West Indies has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first Test in Jamaica, which Pakistan won by seven wickets on Tuesday.
Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Jason Holder’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.
As such, Holder been fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 10 per cent fines. If West Indies commits another minor over-rate breach in a Test within 12 months of this offence with Holder as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by Holder and he will face a suspension.
Holder pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough, third umpire Bruce Oxenford and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite.
ICC rankings
Holder, Dowrich and Gabriel among West Indies players to reach career-best rankings
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq has gained six slots to reach 20th position in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after the first Test against the West Indies in Kingston which his team won by seven wickets on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Misbah, who along with former captain Younus Khan has announced that this will be his last Test series, notched unbeaten knocks of 99 and 12 to put himself in a position to further gain in the batsmen’s rankings, in which he attained a career-best sixth position in October 2013. Younus, a former top-ranked batsman, has maintained his eighth position with innings of 58 and six.
Among other Pakistan batsmen, Sarfraz Ahmed‘s first innings knock of 54 has seen him gain one place to move up to 24th position while Babar Azam has gained 14 places to reach 94th position after scores of 72 and nine not out.
