The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to reduce its president to a figurehead from 2014 and instead appoint a chairman to head the powerful Board and run its affairs. The decision was made at its two-day Board meeting at its Dubai headquarters. It recommendation will be discussed at the next ICC Board meeting in April before and be submitted for approval at the annual conference in June. This will come into effect after New Zealand's Alan Isaac, who succeeds Sharad Pawar in June, finishes his term and reduce Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief, Mustafa Kamal, nominated for vice-president from 2012-14 prior to becoming president, to an 'ambassadorial' role as the ICC put it.
The ICC also received an independent governance review report by a committee chaired by Lord Woolf of Barnes, former chief justice of England and Wales. The report focused on the role of ICC, its board, ethics, membership, board structure and committees and funding. The 60-page report with 65 recommendations to overhaul global cricket administration will be taken up for final discussion at the next Board meeting in April.
The Board decided to significantly increase prize money for top four Test teams, to boost the flagging interest in the longest form of the game. The team which is ranked number one on April 1 next year will get $450,000 (Rs 2.22 approx ), a jump from the current $175,000.
© HT
