ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said he judged sporting organisations by on-field performances, not on how much money they had in the bank.
MOHALI: Talk of a thaw between the ICC and the BCCI is obviously just talk. Malcolm Speed, the CEO of ICC, blamed BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi on Wednesday for the debate in the media about a rift between the two bodies.
“The ICC has said very little. We have seen long articles and letters in print accusing ICC of being like the East India Company. We have said very little about Mr Modi’s comments. These opinions are not always founded on facts,” Speed said at the beginning of an extended interaction with the media.
Just minutes later, he fired a salvo that is bound to widen the cracks between the two bodies. Lambasting the BCCI for its inability to groom a winning team, Speed said, “I don’t judge a sporting organisation on the basis of the amount of money it has. I have three-fold criteria — how its team performs, facilities at its grounds and hospitality for visiting dignitaries and how it uses its natural resources (read population) to produce great cricketers.”
He elaborated further, “New Zealand has a population of four million and its team reached the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. India has a billion people but the last time it won an event was in 1987.” He later corrected the figure to 1983 when India did win the World Cup.
“We would have a different perspective if India wins the next World Cup. India has to win events and begin to lead in the LG Test and One-day ratings. It helps to have money to do that but it is not necessary,” he said.
Speed’s comments were in response to a query on the BCCI’s money power. The timing, however, is ironical as they came in the wake of ICC president Percy Sonn waxing eloquent about his meeting with BCCI president Sharad Pawar and having asserted that, “whatever has happened in the past I can assure you that it won’t happen in the future”.
With Speed firing a fresh salvo against the very ability of the BCCI to produce a winning team, it looks like a fresh debate is about to be sparked off.
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