MONEY TALKS AND BCCI CAKEWALKS

MONEY TALKS AND BCCI CAKEWALKS
During the days of the Cold War, political strategists and pundits coined the expression ‘unipolar world’ to describe the US, which was the solitary superpower. In the last ten years cricket has realigned to reflect a similar world order.

The administrators who run international cricket have often been at loggerheads with the conceited but commercially successful BCCI. However, they end up eating a slice of humble pie. In ICC terms-arrive to an amicable solution.

No matter how one describes it, the International Cricket Council willingly or most of the times unwillingly behaves like a rubber-stamp body. But, by succumbing under the pressure to the BCCI, the ICC has legitimised a significant power shift in the game.

Arguably, the rivalry between the two has been there for a long time now. In sports, the term ‘rivals’ is normally used when both competitors or teams have a lot of history between them, and the stakes are high. Here in this case, the stakes are high as they are in the form of Money.

The truth is that BCCI runs the ‘Gentlemen’s Game’.

War Path

Champions League
Even as the BCCI got into the mode of hosting the Champions League, the world governing body - ICC advised members against participating in the cash-rich Indian league.

The International Cricket Council said that they have sent a communique to all its member boards objecting to the inter-club tournament's proximity to the ICC Champions Trophy. The ICC expressed its displeasure over the League starting immediately a day after the Champions Trophy - citing it will be a breach of the terms and conditions agreed to, by all member nations.

ICC rules say that no international cricket event can take place within seven days of any ICC tournament.

On the other hand, BCCI rubbished ICC's objection with the CAO Ratnakar Shetty saying, "The Champions League is an inter-club event and not an international competition. If India were playing close to Champions Trophy then it would be prudent for some objection."

However, now the organisers of the multi-million dollar Twenty20 Champions League due to start in September will review its scheduling following objections.


Zimbabwe: Status-for-Vote
Zimbabwe Cricket, backed by cash-rich India, retained full member status and entitlement to lavish funding at the recent ICC board meeting in Dubai. The only compromise they had to make was to skip Twenty 20 WC.

Concerns over financial irregularities plaguing Zimbabwe Cricket and chairman Peter Chingoka's close ties with Robert Mugabe's disgraced regime were apparently ignored.

South Africa, Australia and England had broken off relations with ZC ahead of the ICC executive board meeting. What the BCCI has wrought in preserving Zimbabwe's full member status at the ICC is nothing less than a bribe. The Indian cricket board will protect the flow of money to Zimbabwe in return for its vote.


Champions Trophy stays in Pak; BCCI emerges Champion
Ending weeks of uncertainty, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on July 24 bowed down to the pressure of Asian bloc-led by the BCCI and announced that Pakistan would remain the host of this year's Champions Trophy and named a task force to implement recommendations of the security advisors.

After a teleconference among ICC Board members that lasted two-and-a-quarter hours, the ICC said in a statement that the event would remain in Pakistan.

It is worth mentioning here that England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have expressed grave concerns over the security situation in Pakistan.


BCCI plays juggler in Monkey row
Do you remember the Sydney test in January when India toured Australia in 2007-2008. This series has not been short of controversies, with poor umpiring decisions being the norm on the first four days of the test. But the racial abuse case seems to have taken the banter to another level altogether.

Harbhajan Singh could face a ban of two test matches. Harbhajan was charged with a Level 3 offence under the International Cricket Council's code of conduct following his run-in with Andrew Symonds during the Indian first innings.

The charge was laid by match umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor following a complaint from Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

However, the BCCI stepped in and threatened to pull out of the tour. The aggressive approach led to the ICC-appointed appeals commissioner John Hansen overturning the charge of racial abuse against Harbhajan.

Cricket Australia bore scathing attack from its furious players and local media for bowing down to the BCCI's ‘money power’ and letting Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh off the hook with minimal punishment.

The BCCI also managed to ban Umpire Steve Bucknor for the rest of the series.


The above mentioned issues stole headlines in all cricket playing nations in the past seven months with the BCCI having the last laugh.

For more than a century, England and Australia have ruled cricket. In one sense at least, a unipolar ICC is long overdue. India has always been the most populous, and arguably also the most passionate, of cricket nations.

The reasons for India's belated eminence are not far to seek either. Its democracy is stable, its economy vital, its political and media elite take laps around cricket fields.

I believe it is no longer correct to talk about the "globalisation" of cricket; rather the game is being "Indianised".