Suneer S. Chowdhary
Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
Dexter
CibbuanoThe ICC is a Toothless Tiger
January 30th 2008 13:30
The outcome of the Harbhajan Singh inquiry comes as no surprise. The ICC, when it comes to effectively dealing with situations of its kind, have a woeful track record. The ICC, as the global governing body, is supposed to be the administrative voice of the game, but finds itself being vigorously challenged. The BCCI is the most recent cricket board to challenge the ICC.
Throughout the nineties and into the new millennium, the Sri Lankan cricket board and the ICC have continued to fight over the legitimacy of Muralitharan's bowling action. At first , the ICC chose to ignore the issue until it became public knowledge that many complaints had been made. The then president of the ICC, Sir Clive Walcot, issued a statement saying...' the ICC has misgivings...'
When Murali was no balled in 1995, the war began. Sri Lanka defended their man, saying he had a congenital deformity of the right arm making it impossible for him to straighten it. Initial biomechanical testing confirmed this. However, the ICC didn't clear him and the controversy lived on. It would all be revisited in 1999. Once more, Murali was no balled. Arjuna Ranatunga reacted angrily, leading his team from the field. For a time there the tour was in jeopardy until a phone call placated Ranatunga. More testing and still no exoneration. In 2004, match referee, Chris Broad, reignited things when he reported Muralitharan for a suspect bowling action. Yet more tests, but, this time it revealed when bowling the doosra there was a 14 degree elbow extension. The law only permitted spin bowlers a 5 degree extension. The Icc enacted a law permitting bowlers a 15 degree extension, but haven't issued a ruling clearing Muralitharan of suspicion. The controversy, to this day, continues unabated.
In 2006, there was a showdown between the PCB and the ICC. Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, was cited for ball tampering. Unimpressed with the umpire's handling of things, he lead a protest which saw Pakistan- the perennial bad boys of cricket- become the first team in 129 years of Test match cricket to forfeit a Test. He would also be charged with bringing the game into disrepute. The PCB threatened to cancel(sound familiar) the remainder of the tour if Inzamam was found guilty. The ECB countered, saying they would seek compensation should this happen. The ICC launched an independent inquiry led by Ranjan Mudagalle, its chief match referee. Due to a lack of corroborating evidence the ball tampering charge was dismissed. The charge of bringing the game into disrepute was upheld and Inzamam copped a four ODI suspension which he did not appeal. The tour continued.
The events of 2006 bear a striking similarity to the recent controversy. Clearly, I've summarised things. An in depth look only emphasises the ineptitude of the ICC administration. The ICC, without doubt, is a toothless tiger. Don't think for one moment that the ICC is in charge of world cricket.
Throughout the nineties and into the new millennium, the Sri Lankan cricket board and the ICC have continued to fight over the legitimacy of Muralitharan's bowling action. At first , the ICC chose to ignore the issue until it became public knowledge that many complaints had been made. The then president of the ICC, Sir Clive Walcot, issued a statement saying...' the ICC has misgivings...'
The events of 2006 bear a striking similarity to the recent controversy. Clearly, I've summarised things. An in depth look only emphasises the ineptitude of the ICC administration. The ICC, without doubt, is a toothless tiger. Don't think for one moment that the ICC is in charge of world cricket.
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