The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday lashed out over controversial plans to reform cricket’s governing body, describing the proposed revamp as unjust.
Moves to restructure the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hand power to India, Australia and England, the game’s financial powerhouses, were passed in principle during a board meeting last month.
In an in-house meeting, the PCB termed the proposed plan as “not in line with the principle of equity, nor in the interest of the game of cricket.”
Members of the PCB’s governing board said in a statement that they had serious concerns over the planned revamp proposed by the cricket boards of India, Australia and England to give their countries a greater say in the running of the game. It comes after Pakistani cricket legend Imran Khan on Friday blasted the proposals, saying they would take the game back to the days of colonialism.
The PCB said it had asked chairman Zaka Ashraf to seek guidance from Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and “to apprise him on this matter of immense significance and of national interest, which will have wide-reaching impact on the future of cricket in Pakistan.”
The board said it had received a detailed presentation on the proposal, which it would discuss at the next ICC board meeting.
No international cricket has been played in Pakistan since 2009, when militants attacked the visiting Sri Lankan team, and Khan has warned the new proposals would hit his home country hardest.
South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the three remaining ICC full members still against the report, which will next be considered at a council meeting in Singapore on Saturday.
The plan needs approval from eight of the 10 ICC members.
Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has rejected news reports suggesting the organization is in the process of concluding a deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“While we are engaged in discussions with the ICC and other members, including the BCCI, to find an acceptable way forward, we have not and will not consider deals that compromise our key principles and integrity,” CSA president Chris Nenzani said yesterday.
“This is a difficult time for global cricket and attempts to mislead and create confusion are not welcome,” he added.
“CSA vehemently denies any notion of deals being made with any other party. On the contrary, we will seek to uphold good governance and our professional approach to find solutions to the current proposals being considered by all the member boards,” Nenzani said.
Reports on the Cricinfo Web site alluded to a deal being struck.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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