ICC to hold crucial meet to discuss host of issues

By Indo Asian News Service

Dubai, March 19 (IANS) The International Cricket Council's executive board will meet here March 21-22 to discuss a number of crucial issues.

'This meeting is an important opportunity for the directors from across our membership base to guide the direction of international cricket on a range of major issues,' ICC president Ehsan Mani said in a statement.

A new six-year Future Tours Programme (FTP) is likely to replace the current five-year programme for the ICC's 10 full members.

The new proposal, a culmination of two years and several drafts, would require all full member sides to play home and away series against each other within the six-year period.

Each of these series will comprise a minimum of two Test matches and three one-day internationals.

The FTP draft will provide opportunities for several series to take place on a more frequent basis including high profile ones with sides like Australia, England and India.

The board will also evaluate Zimbabwe's readiness to resume Test cricket when it approaches the end of its 12-month voluntary withdrawal from Test commitments early next year.

It will be apprised by Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the interim committee of Zimbabwe Cricket, regarding financial mismanagement, the composition of the interim board and on improving relations with players.

The board will receive an independent written report from India's Solicitor General Goolam Vahanvati on incidents of racist crowd behaviour in Australia during the home series against South Africa.

The meeting will also consider a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to increase the number of venues for the Champions Trophy from three to four.

The ICC had previously indicated that should the BCCI seek to increase the number of venues, the extra costs would be borne by the Indian board. The change will require amendments to the schedule but the tournament duration will remain the same.

The meeting will take a decision on whether to end prematurely the experimental Supersub rule after negative feedback from various stakeholders, including players.

The introduction of a formal pitch-monitoring process, which will include potential sanctions ranging from a formal warning to suspension of international status for venues that produce substandard pitches, is likely to be discussed.

Also on the anvil is the making of anti-doping code mandatory for all ICC events beginning with October's Champions Trophy in India.

Email this article to your friend