I.C.C. waiting for B.C.C.I. report on I.C.L.

Amlan Chakraborty


Mohali, Oct 18 (PTI) The International Cricket Council
(I.C.C.) is waiting for a report from the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (B.C.C.I.) before deciding whether to
recognise the Indian Cricket League (I.C.L.), I.C.C. CEO
Haroon Lorgat said here Saturday.


Lorgat revealed that the B.C.C.I. had requested a meeting
with I.C.L. representatives after the 'rebel' league applied
for I.C.C. recognition.

In a terse press release on Thursday, B.C.C.I. secretary
N. Srinivasan said, "The talks failed and there are no plans
for any further meeting", but Lorgat said the international
body was waiting for a report from the B.C.C.I. before taking
a final call.

"We are going through a process while considering their
application and part of the process is to wait for a report
from the B.C.C.I.," Lorgat told reporters.

Asked who sought the meeting between the B.C.C.I. and
I.C.L., Lorgat said it was the Indian board which requested
the I.C.C. to go ahead with a meeting following which the
B.C.C.I. would send a report on the progress.

Told that the B.C.C.I. had gone public saying the talk
broke down and there are no plans for further meeting, Lorgat
insisted, "I cannot speculate. B.C.C.I. sought the meeting to
see if they can work out a solution and we have to wait for
their report."

Incidentally, the newly set-up I.C.C. sub-committee to
look into modifying rules on unofficial cricket leagues
include Lalit Modi, the mastermind behind Indian Premier
League, but Lorgat ruled out possibility of any bias against
the I.C.L.

"It's not the sub-committee which takes decision. I.C.C.
Executive Board would take the decision. The sub-committee
would only re-visit the regulations we got in place and
suggest amendments. The I.C.C. Board would have the final say
in the matter," Lorgat explained.

Asked about the logic behind banning 'rebel' players,
thus denying them the right to play for the team of their
choice, Lorgat said, "Of course they have the right to play
for the team they want to, but they have to face the
consequence flowing from there."

Lorgat also made it clear that the Essel Group-bankrolled
I.C.L. should not be equated with the B.C.C.I. conceived
I.P.L.
"I.P.L. came into being with B.C.C.I. sanctions in terms
of regulations," he argued.

The I.C.C. CEO dismissed the notion that B.C.C.I. was
arm-twisting the governing body by flexing its financial
muscle and said it was a popular but baseless theory.

"It's certainly not my experience. Before I got into
I.C.C. boardroom, I was also told about this widespread
perception but I never experienced anything as such. They are
just like any member board," he asserted.

Told that his predecessor Malcolm Speed found the
B.C.C.I. a big, brash bully, Lorgat said, "He may had
different experience but I found B.C.C.I. very supportive and
in fact without their support, it would have been difficult to
find a window for Champions Trophy next year."