Daily Times

There was a time when the International Cricket Council used to be the most competent watchdog organisation of the game of cricket. Soon after the emergence of ICL — Indian Cricket League, the writ of ICC couldn’t remain unchallenged. Especially after the establishment of IPL in 2008 and other leading private leagues, it seems that the ICC has become loose governing body of cricket at international arena.

Some of the initiatives are taken by the ICC in recently that avoids any misconception about the ICC neutrality. Crackdown was started on bowling action only at off-spinners. The ban on South African off-spinner Joan Botha which ultimately axed his cricketing career, Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal along with Bilal Asif and Muhammad Hafeez and Sunile Narine of the bankrupted WICB has proven to be the most unjust decisions by the ICC. Contrary to the this off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh of the powerful India have never been reported for their foul bowling actions which reflects a clear image of the ICC not seeing though both eyes equally.

The imposition of the so-called Big Three also added some salt to the wounds of the already shaken ICC. On one hand the number of members is increasing, on the other hand the ICC seems to have continuously been losing its writ over India-involved cricket affairs. Furthermore, the unregistered cricket leagues are also a threat to the international cricket.

At last the news about PCB’s convincing case against the BCCI was dismissed by the Dispute Committee of the ICC which put a big question mark over the impartiality of the ICC. The ICC needs to improve its standards so as to extend its existence over the most favourite sport otherwise ever country would launch a cricket league of its own and the ICC would no more be of any use to the international cricket.

MUHAMMAD RAZA NAGARI

Gilgit

Published in Daily Times, November 26^th 2018.