Despite all the protests and angry letters, the three powerful cricket boards of India, England and Australia got what they wanted during the International Cricket Council’s meeting on changes to its structure.
The proposals were passed, leading to the three boards now being the de-facto decision makers. Only three ICC members – South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – opposed the proposal as it meant a possible reduction in revenue for the other big teams.
Bangladesh were against it due to the threat of relegation from Test cricket, but that fear was allayed and they hopped on board.
All the ‘big three’ needed was one of the ‘other’ three to crack so that they could get the required eight out of 10 ‘full member’ votes.
And that happened when Cricket South Africa changed its stance. That left Pakistan and Sri Lanka as they sole protesters whose grievances were apparently too grave to be addressed.
So it means that India, Australia and England will call the shots in cricket and get a greater share of the pie and the ‘others’ will be rewarded according to what they bring to the table and their past performances.
It also means these cricketing bodies have abandoned the concept of sport. All those who voted for the change have followed the money trail.
Everyone now wants to secure bilateral series with the ‘big three’ and balance their books. It was the case earlier as well but there was a pretence of courtesy.
Now, it’s all open business. If revenue-generating capacity mixed with on-field performance is to be made the criterion of assessing and rewarding teams, what money would New Zealand warrant after thrashing the top-ranked Indian team in the just-concluded ODI series 4-0?
Can you put a figure on how a tiny Caribbean island like St Lucia produced a Test captain like Darren Sammy?
And should India, with its gigantic talent pool, be monetarily penalised for failing to produce fast bowlers even as nations like Sri Lanka and New Zealand unearth them every now and then.
The move to uproot the entire system and set up a structure that suits three nations, at least from the outset, is the most crippling blow cricket could have imagined and as widely feared, will leave the game torn apart by bitter divisions.
What is worse is that the International Cricket Council has been completely sidelined, with the reins physically handed over to those who bring in the revenue. This simply doesn’t resemble any kind of sport.
What this will lead to is a permanent fissure between the haves and the have nots. As many have been forced to publicly beg for morsels, those left in the lurch will nurse a grudge for a long time.
They might never be able to get back at the powerful trio but they will wait for their chance.
And even if it turns out that the BCCI, CA and the ECB are not going to devour the other boards, the fact remains that so much power should never rest with a select few. It has never resulted in any good and never will.
And to think the ICC is trying to spread the game around the globe.
