CA Chairman confident cricket's long-term future is strong
Edwards responds to the 'ill informed'
Cricket Australia Chairman Wally Edwards has criticised the “ill-informed” commentary on proposed changes to the International Cricket Council (ICC) structure.
The ICC board last night agreed in principle to significant changes to the way international cricket is run, a move Edwards said is in the interests of cricket’s long term success.
“We have long held the view that, together with other ICC Full Members, we have a responsibility to take a leadership position in discussions about improving the governance of the game and the management of international cricket competitions,” said Edwards.
“To this end we are pleased that the ICC Executive Board has unanimously agreed to a guiding set of principles that provides the platform to address these matters for the long-term betterment of international cricket.
“Discussions in recent days have been constructive and progressive.”
A draft discussion paper was leaked last week, leading to some heated commentary across the cricketing world. Edwards said now the ICC nations would be able to take time to consider the proposal.
“It is unfortunate that the confidential preliminary discussion paper became public at the time that it did as it has led to some ill-informed comment,” Edwards said.
“We now look forward to further discussion with fellow member nations on the detail behind these principles and how we will together build a bigger, better global game.”
‘Key principles’ that had ‘unanimous support’ from the board at its meeting in Dubai, according to the ICC, have included the dumping of the troubled Test championship, which will be replaced in 2017 by the limited-overs Champions Trophy competition.
The ICC also says a new executive committee will be set up consisting of representatives from India, England and Australia and two other representatives taken from the ICC board.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia had proposed a four-member executive committee, with those three countries deciding who joined them and rotating the chair between them.
The ICC says anyone from its board, which is made up of the 10 Test-playing nations and three representatives of smaller cricket countries, could eventually be elected to chair the board.
It also says anyone on the executive committee or influential finance and commercial affairs committee could chair those, but only after a "transitional period" ends in 2016.
Until then, India, England and Australia will lead the governing body's top committees.
It was also agreed in principle that smaller countries would also have the chance to play Test cricket, but no one would lose their Test status.
The ICC didn't give detail on how current non Test-playing countries might win the right to play Tests.
India, England and Australia had suggested a reduced eight-team top tier for Tests with two countries immediately relegated, regular promotion and relegation, but immunity from relegation for the big three.
Tuesday's proposed changes were yet to be formally adopted, with ICC President Alan Isaac saying "extensive work will now be undertaken in advance of a follow-up board meeting next month".
New Zealand Cricket board member Martin Snedden believes the proposed changes bode well for the Black Caps and the national body's finances.
He says there were still details to negotiate, but he was confident the Black Caps would end up with a strong playing programme through bilateral arrangements.
"There was a lot of speculation in the media last week that we would end up getting some crumbs from the big guys and just playing mainly the small guys," he told LiveSport.
"That's not going to happen. We've locked in good commitments from Australia, England and India through that 10-year period.
"We're building up the programme around them and I'm delighted with the way that's starting to look."