The embarrassment that is the ICC
The Telegraph's Michael Henderson criticises the ICC's functioning in light of its decision to offer the chief executive's position to Imtiaz Patel, who is presently the CEO of a South African sports broadcaster, and the reinstatement of Darrell
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The Telegraph's Michael Henderson criticises the ICC's functioning in light of its decision to offer the chief executive's position to Imtiaz Patel, who is presently the CEO of a South African sports broadcaster, and the reinstatement of Darrell Hair in the Elite panel of umpires.
The International Cricket Council do not have a tune to call their own but if they did it would probably come from the Sondheim songbook: Every Day A Little Death. The game is changing at a mind-boggling rate. From week to week there are developments in what politicians like to call the "narrative", and it is clear that cricket's governing body are hopelessly ill-equipped to provide anything that resembles leadership.
Meeting this week in Dubai, the ICC could not be sure that the chief executive-elect, Imtiaz Patel of South Africa, even wanted the job. As things stand he is mulling it over and has suggested that his present job, as chief executive of SuperSport, the sports broadcaster, provides the fulfillment he needs.
Why would anybody want to run a broken-backed organisation like the ICC? In a sporting world littered with weak leaders, cricket is perhaps the worst of all. As the game is fragmenting before our eyes, those entrusted with its maintenance cannot be trusted with a straightforward change of office.
Ashok Ganguly is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo