International Cricket Council chief executive Dave Richardson admits India indulged in “gamesmanship” and were “in the driving seat” during negotiations over the controversial restructure of the governing body.
Earlier this year the national boards of India, England and Australia proposed a radical overhaul of the ICC – including increased shares of global revenue for all three and powerful positions on a newly-formed executive committee – which were voted through in modified form at the annual conference.
It has been suggested India, the overwhelming driver in broadcast and commercial revenue in the world game, had threatened to walk away from the ICC and its tournaments if the restructure was not agreed.
Although Richardson did not confirm that when questioned by Jonathan Agnew on the BBC’s Test Match Special, he did not deny the Board of Control for Cricket in India had played a forceful hand.
“India were saying, ‘We need to have more of a say, we need more money’. So it was a negotiation; it turned into a negotiation,” he said.
“There was gamesmanship, certainly some people have more influence than others and more authority. Certainly India are in the driving seat when it comes to being in a good position at the negotiating table, bearing in mind their tours of every country are the extreme revenue generators.”
Richardson also played down fears that the three boards had arranged to dominate decision-making in the ICC, suggesting their new status was merely a formalising of a pre-existing pattern.
He also confirmed that the ICC Board, comprising all 10 full members and three associate representatives, remained the primary decision-making body, not the new executive committee.
“More than anything this has been a wake-up to other countries who have sat back and let things happen, having no real say at meetings," added Richardson.
“There were people attending meetings sometimes seemingly sleeping at them, not participating, not contributing. When that happens there is going to be a power vacuum and people who have the authority are going to take control.”