New proposal to resolve Denness impasse

Agha Akbar

February 6, 2002

Jamoghan Dalmiya Photo Reuters

Fresh approaches are being made to resolve the crisis resulting from the Mike Denness affair, and the issue may finally be heading towards an amicable resolution following a new proposal from the South Africa Cricket Union. The Proteas, who went along with India and allowed the third Test match at Port Elizabeth to proceed without the ICC match referee, have proposed a compromise, which might be palatable for all parties involved.

It would mean scrapping the Review Committee announced by the ICC, to which the Indians are objecting vehemently, and replacing it with the presidents of three cricket Boards - those of Australia, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

I understand the proposal, crafted by a highly-placed Pakistani in the ICC who had previously mediated between the BCCI chief and the ICC bosses, was favourably viewed by Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former ICC president, who now heads the Board of Cricket Control in India. Dalmiya has been at the centre of the crisis, taking on the ICC in a most belligerent manner since Denness announced his judgement, which was deemed overly harsh and inconsistent by the Indians to the extent that they felt it even had racial overtones.

The proposal has yet to meet the approval of the ICC president and chief executive officer, Malcolm Gray and Malcolm Speed. But India have no objections, and four other major cricketing nations - Australia, South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe - have given their consent either in favour of the proposal or to act as members of the Review Committee. With the sub-continental nations of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, also likely to throw their lot in with it, the proposal may well find favour with the ICC.

So the crisis, which threatened to split the cricketing world, may be close to being resolved amicably with a face-saving option. If the proposed Committee were approved, the members sitting in judgement would be Bob Merriman, Wes Hall and Peter Chingoka, respectively presidents of Australian, West Indian and Zimbabwe Cricket Boards. They would replace the committee initially proposed by the ICC, chaired by Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa, supported by Majid Khan from Pakistan and Andrew Hilditch of Australia.

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