Associate Board Election Heats Up, Ukraine’s Dreams In The Balance And Uneasiness Over Afghanistan

Cricket’s power brokers are heading to Birmingham for the International Cricket Council’s Annual General Meeting as numerous pressing issues will be thrashed around in a rare get together since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even though some administrators have faced difficulties obtaining UK travel visas, the suits and ties will be out in force for the annual conference which runs from July 23-27 highlighted by a three-hour ICC board meeting on July 26.

Associate Member Director Election

The field of candidates for the coveted three Associate Member positions on the all-powerful ICC board has reduced to six after Betty Timmer from the Netherlands bowed out of the race, according to sources.

There were eyebrows raised at the surprise candidacy of Timmer, who unsuccessfully ran for the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) last year, with a feeling from some that she may have ‘diluted’ the votes given her unlikely prospects.

But Timmer, according to sources, was convinced not to run setting the stage for an intriguing battle of six candidates mixing Associate stalwarts with rising administrators.

As I reported last month, the three incumbents, Associate chair and ICC deputy chairman Imran Khwaja, Mahinda Vallipuram and Neil Speight, will recontest, while Pankaj Khimji (Oman), Mubashshir Usmani (UAEUAE
UAE
) and Mark Stafford (Vanuatu) will run.

There is a strong sentiment that Usmani, who is heralding the UAE’s wealthy new T20 league and has formed relationships with both India and Pakistan, will be elected which would have the knock-on effect of opening up a spot on the CEC, where he currently sits.

Khwaja, the long-time Associate chair, remains a popular figure and holds particular gravitas so appears set to keep his position. The final spot could come down to Vallipuram, who has strong connections and holds high-profile positions on the Asian Cricket Council and the ICC’s Olympic working group, and Khimji, who fell short by one vote in the last election in late 2020.

Khimji is hoping for greater representation on the board for the top 10 performing Associate nations, which Oman is part of. It is a contentious issue that has caused reverberations in the Associates after last year’s ‘power grab’.

Watching this race closely will be Indian cricket boss Jay Shah, who according to sources is seriously considering making a run at the ICC chair later this year.

If Shah – or someone else from India – puts their hand up, it’s unlikely anyone will get in the way, including current chair Greg Barclay, but having allies from Associates on the board is deemed important heightening the politicking in this election.

Associate Membership

Ukraine’s ICC membership dreams might have to wait. According to sources, given the uncertainty in the war-torn country after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s bid for Associate membership, which provides funding and an important dose of credibility, may be deferred.

Ukraine Cricket Federation chief executive Kobus Olivier told me recently that it would be “the end of Ukrainian cricket” if it did not receive Associate membership. He believed development could be fostered in Croatia, where South Africa-born Olivier now resides along with around 20,000 refugees from Ukraine.

Other hopefuls include Vietnam and Uzbekistan, but Cambodia appears to be the standout bid and likely to get the nod as an Associate member.

Afghanistan women’s issue still cause for concern

The ICC board may receive another update on the Afghanistan situation, where a working group provided findings at the last meeting in April.

Afghanistan’s Full Membership was never in question even amid the uncertainty of women’s cricket after the return of the oppressive Taliban regime. Development and pathway structures for women’s cricket are part of strict criteria for Full Membership.

When it received Full Membership in 2017, an exemption was invoked and Afghanistan received the status on the proviso that women’s cricket would be developed.

There remains an uneasiness over what might be the death knell for women’s cricket in Afghanistan, particularly from Australia and independent board director Indra Nooyi, according to sources.

Nooyi has voiced her concern in previous meetings, while Cricket Australia postponed last November’s historic Hobart Test between Australia and Afghanistan due to the “uncertainty” over the situation.

There once again might be rigorous debate if the issue is raised at the board meeting although Afghanistan’s Full Membership status remains secure.

Governance Issues

Constitutional reforms for the ICC and its board have been a thorny topic for many years. But the ICC’s Governance Committee, headed by South Africa chair Lawson Naidoo, has been tasked with ideas to potentially shake up a governing body that has sometimes been criticised as conservative and elitist.

Some ideas that could be thrown forward during the annual conference include getting rid of the archaic tiered membership headed by the 12 Full Members, who play Test cricket, receive more funding and hold greater power through seats on the ICC board.

Ideas have been floating around on a single membership although the top revenue generating countries – such as India, Australia and England – would be guaranteed positions on the ICC board. There is some belief that the 17-person ICC board is too bloated and that it should be reduced to around 10 although – with no one wanting to shed their power – any major changes seem difficult to envision in the near future.

“As long as you have chairs all around that table you’re going to have an impasse because everyone is looking after their own interest,” a former board director told me. “It needs a mixture of more independent people, probably five independents on a 10 person board.”

Abolishing non-voting Associates, essentially the old Affiliate membership, and creating equilibrium among the Associates is likely to also be thrashed around during the five-day annual conference.