BCCI approves ICC proposals

The Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) has formally taken the decision to approve the proposals of the ICC working group. The emergent meeting of the BCCI working committee was chaired by Shivlal Yadav, the BCCI vice-president in the absence of N Srinivasan, whose mother had passed away earlier in the day.

The media release said that:
The committee discussed at length the proposals of the ICC Working Group and felt that this proposal was in the interest of Cricket at large. The committee unanimously made the following decisions:

1 - Formally approved the proposal of the Working Group
2 - Authorized the Office Bearers to enter into agreements with ICC for participating in the ICC Events and Host ICC Events, subject to the proposal being approved in the ICC Board.
3 - Authorized the Office Bearers to discuss bilateral matches with other Full Members (including Pakistan) and sign formal FTP Agreements.

The decision comes on the back of widespread criticism and disapproval of many cricket boards including Cricket South Africa(CSA) and Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB). The ICC proposals could give greater power to the BCCI, England Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia(CA) while marginalising the other countries.

As things stand right now, 75 per cent of ICC earnings are divided between the 10 full member countries equally and the remainder goes to associate members. In the lead-up to negotiations for the next ICC commercial rights cycle -- covering the period from 2015 to 2023 -- India apparently wants its share of the global game's money to reflect the proportion of revenue the country generates.

The planned overhaul of the ICC would also see a new executive committee formed by India, England and Australia that would decide most of the key issues in cricket, and a relegation system, from which they would be protected. Other changes would include a two-tier system for Test cricket in which India, Australia and England would be exempt from relegation and removal of control over scheduling from the ICC to allow countries to essentially pick and choose who they play.

Cricket South Africa has spoken out against the plan, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the "fundamentally flawed" proposal. It has also drawn criticism from the Federation of International Cricketers' Association executive chairman Paul Marsh, who has called it unconstitutional.

The structural overhaul plan is set to be presented at ICC's quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28 and 29. It must have the support of seven of the 10 full member nations to be passed.