It would be 'healthier' if the new ICC chairman comes from outside the 'Big Three': PCB's Ehsan Mani
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani believes that the new ICC chairman should not come from any of the "Big Three" boards. He added that the "politics" introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) has not been healthy for the functioning of the global body.
Speaking to Forbes, Ehsan Mani pointed out that the ICC is now struggling to undo the repercussions of certain policies which they had previously introduced to protect the interests of these three boards. He said:
"It would be healthier to have someone (the chairperson) not from the 'big three'. The politics introduced by Australia, England and India in 2014 to protect their positions - now they are struggling to unwind it because it doesn't suit them anymore.”
India’s Shashank Manohar had stepped down from the post of ICC chairman two months ago. The global body has not been able to reach an agreement on the process to choose his successor.
ICC’s revenue model is skewed in favour of India and England: Ehsan Mani
The PCB chairman further alleged that the ICC’s revenue model had been skewed in favour of India and England. His comments refer to the agreement by which BCCI and ECB were projected to receive US$139 million while other boards had to settle for US$128 million.
Apart from the revenues, Mani believes that there had been favouritism even in the allocation of major events. He said:
“It's not only the funding model that is wrong and skewered to India and also to some degree England. They allocated ICC events to themselves, gave themselves generous hosting fees and the benefits from gate money and hospitality. In 2019 [World Cup hosts] England would have made what Pakistan, West Indies or South Africa do over an eight-year period. That's what's wrong with the system.”
While India is set to host the T20 World Cup in 2021 and the ODI World Cup in 2023, Australia has the right to host the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup.