The Board of Control for Cricket in India wants to discuss the proposed International Cricket Council governance model with the West Indies Cricket Board before giving the Indian cricket team its nod to tour the West Indies later this summer, reported PTI.
After the Champions Trophy in the United Kingdom ends on June 18, the Indian team is scheduled to travel to the Caribbean islands in the last week of June for five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.
Even last time in 2013, India, after winning the Champions Trophy, went to the West Indies for a tri-nation series. This time around, a section within the BCCI wants joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary to have talks with WICB chief David Cameron with regards to India’s objections on the proposed changes in ICC governance model.
There is a feeling in the BCCI that the West Indies Cricket Board has had it easy since its national team pulled out of the 2014 series in India midway after a payment dispute. “We let the West Indies Cricket Board go scot-free back in 2014 after they pulled out midway. We claimed damages of $42 million but that was also waived by Shashank Manohar after he became the BCCI president for the second time. Now, they have also voted against us at ICC Board. We need to look at these aspects,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying.
While they know that any pullout will need direct approval from the Committee of Administrators, some top officials want Vinod Rai to know that the WICB has supposedly taken BCCI for a ride.
“There has to be some discussions with Cameron and WICB as to what their viewpoint is on governance. In any case, it’s the WICB which gains if we go. Before the ICC Annual Conference, it would be great if Amitabh speaks to their cricket board,” he added. The ICC normally does not have a say on bilateral series as it is a bi-partite agreement between the two cricket boards.
In 2014, WICB violated the agreement and the cash-strapped board was in no position to pay the multi-million dollar damages claimed by the BCCI. In 2016, India toured the West Indies for a four-match Test series, which Virat Kohli’s side won 2-0.