Thaindian News

London, May 17 (IANS) Accusing India of dominating the International Cricket Council (ICC), former England skipper Tony Greig said it was silly to give the Indian Premier League (IPL) a window in the global calendar.

“Number one, we have got to try and get the ICC right,” Greig told the BBC.

“We have a situation at the moment where the ICC is dominated by India. They tell Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and one or two other countries what to do and they always get the vote. It’s very hard, but somehow we have got to change things at that level,” he said.

Greig, 64, also came out strongly against giving IPL an open window in the cricket calendar.

“We are playing too much cricket. I would be getting all the countries from the world and saying, ‘Hey listen, what is this nonsense of giving Indian domestic cricket an open window?’

“To give the IPL an open window, and reduce by two months the time available for cricketers to play around the world, is just ridiculous.

“We have got to look very, very closely and make sure we do not destroy the cornerstone of the game which is Test cricket.

“It is laughable that (Chris) Gayle and (Kieron) Pollard are playing in the IPL when the West Indies are playing Pakistan - that is just ridiculous.”

Greig, now a television commentator, however, said he had nothing against India.

“I took to India and the subcontinent very much … I loved the place,” he said in the BBC interview.

“It was the first time I really felt as if we were entertaining people as the people there loved the game so much - to go to those stadiums and find them packed full.

“To this day (Kolkata’s) Eden Gardens remains one of my top three grounds, just because of the incredible atmosphere.”