Thaindian News

Melbourne, June 2 (IANS) A survey by the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) has revealed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) influences the International Cricket Council (ICC) in decision-making.

The FICA said that more than two-thirds of international players believe that BCCI uses its influence on the world body but 40 per cent of the cricketers said they were willing to skip national duty for playing in the cash-rich IPL, which is owned by the BCCI.

FICA chief executive Tim May said 46 per cent of the players said the structure and composition of the ICC executive board should be reviewed.

“Players have highlighted that the governance of the game is a serious issue. FICA have continually advocated for a review of the game’s governance. Its present structure is outdated, full of conflicts, cronyism and far from best practice,” he said.

Nearly a third of players surveyed said they are willing to retire from international cricket to ply trade in IPL. Around 40 per cent of players believe that the fat pay packages offered by IPL teams could see them preferring the league ahead of their national commitments.

Ninetyfour per cent of the players feel that IPL will also motivate younger players to hone their skills principally to Twenty20.

“The Indian Premier League continues to be popular with the players and its superior pay structures for the players continue to challenge players’ priority over international cricket,” May said.

“When players are able to earn over 10 times their annual salary from their Boards, for just seven weeks cricket in the IPL, it would be foolhardy of Boards to continue to schedule international matches during IPL and expect players to remain loyal to the Board and international cricket,” he said.

In another survey, 77 per cent of cricketers feel that five-year bans handed to three Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing were too lenient.