The cricket boards of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have till end of 2012 to become autonomous bodies, free of government interference and political appointments
The cricket boards of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have till end of 2012 to become autonomous bodies, free of government interference and political appointments.
The International Cricket Council's executive board yesterday gave its members boards 12 months to implement free elections and another 12-month grace period to enact the changes before any sanctions would be considered. The move comes after months of discussions between ICC and the three boards, who unanimously accepted the deadline at ICC's ongoing annual conference in Hong Kong yesterday. "This is a significant step towards achieving best practice and together with the independent governance review," ICC chief Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas said PCB would have to seek advice from Australia, England and India for the revamp. "At this point it looks very difficult (to become autonomous). But, we need to find ways and means to do it because it's a very strict directive from ICC. We have to find out from Australia, England and India on how they run their boards. We need their help to revamp our system," Zaheer told MiD DAY.
Zaheer said that he, along with other ex-cricketers, would be lured into administration if and when the change occurs. "We would love to join administration if this change happens. Lot of cricketers with good administrative skills have stayed away from the board because of the way it has been run. The President of Pakistan chooses his own way. This is a huge experiment, we have to wait and see if it will be successful. It will be healthy for the game here," added Zaheer. "The year 2013 is two-and-a-half years away ufffd I am optimistic that something good will happen." Sri Lanka said it would fall in line with ICC's directive. SL sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said an election would be held in January for the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, which for the past seven years, has been appointed by the government.
"We will abide by ICC rules," Aluthgamage told AFP.
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