Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has made a scathing ‘event management company’ remark on ICC and said that India’s heavy involvement in the governing body’s finances is troubling for others.
Ian Chappell urged the ICC to focus on the game’s proper administration and advocated for implementing a two-tier system in Tests.
According to rumors, a two-division system in Test cricket could be implemented once the present Future Tours Programme ends in 2027. This arrangement would allow the “big three” teams – Australia, England, and India – to compete twice every three years rather than once every four.
Why does Afghanistan and Ireland have Test status? Questions, Ian Chappell
Chappell advocated for a reform in the rule for transferring Test status to a team. He wants the ICC to determine whether the country “has a viable first-class competition, legitimate grounds for holding five-day games with adequate facilities, and is financially stable,” noting that a number of recent Test-appointed nations, including Afghanistan, do not match these requirements.
“For instance, could Afghanistan hold a Test series in their strife-torn country? Does Ireland have a realistic number of Test-standard grounds? Even setting aside the Taliban’s reprehensible treatment of women, the answer to those questions is: absolutely not. Then why do they have Test status?
Because in return for Test status, they provide valuable ICC votes on important issues. The ICC is widely regarded as an event management company. They should add “and not a very good one,” Ian Chappell wrote in the ESPNCricinfo column.
The former Australia cricketer backed West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding, who has been vocal about the proposed two-tier system.
India’s powerful presence in ICC has made it an event management company: Ian Chappell
While agreeing with Holding’s proposal, Chappell highlighted concerns about its potential to widen the financial gap between member nations. He noted that the “big three” – India, Australia, and England – have to play more Tests against each other.
Chappell then stated that the sport has yet to find a solution to India’s dominant representation in the ICC.
“The ICC doesn’t run cricket, and unless there’s a major change of heart, the financially desirable nations will continue to have a huge say in producing a self-serving schedule. Then there’s the major issue of the financial split. The big three – India, Australia and England – despite being the wealthiest cricket nations claim a large slice of the money divided among cricket bodies, and yet they agitate for an even larger share. India’s powerful presence in the ICC is in direct proportion to their contribution of around 70% of cricket’s income. It’s a complex issue to which cricket hasn’t found a workable solution,” Chappell stated.
Ian Chappell was Australia’s captain from 1971-1975 and played for the Kangaroos from 1964-1980. He played 75 Tests and 16 ODIs. He made 5345 Test runs with 14 centuries and a best of 196. He also made 673 ODI runs with a best of 86.
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