Thaindian News

Hong Kong, June 29 (IANS) Pakistan and Bangladesh heaved a sigh of relief Wednesday as the International Cricket Council (ICC) deferred till October the proposed constitutional amendment that would end the rotational presidency and usher in election process.

The ICC exercutive board, while deciding to put off the constitutional amendment till its next meeting in October, unanimously agreed to undertake urgently an independent review of the ICC governance structures and processes.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) objected to the proposed amendment as it did in May while Bangladesh said the amendment should take place only after the full cycle of the rotational presidency was completed. The process would be over after the 2014 candidates for president and vice-president are nominated by Bangladesh and Pakistan.

But after the proposed amendment was deferred, both Bangladesh and Pakistan gave undertakings not to nominate a candidate for vice-president before the external review is completed and the matter is again considered by the ICC executive board.

“I wholeheartedly welcome an independent review of the entire ICC governance and regard this as a major step to meet stakeholder expectations and the high standards of a world-class organisation,” said ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

The ICC Governance Review Committee also recommended that a wide-ranging, independent review should cover all governance-related matters, including the possibility of appointing independent directors.

The review will need to be completed before the next ICC executive board meeting, scheduled for October.

The executive board also reviewed the detailed report of the recently held World Cup. Although the event was universally acclaimed as a success and one of the best cricket events in history, the report highlighted certain shortcomings around ticketing and stadia construction.

The ICC executive board confirmed a revised policy that stadia hosting ICC global events must be match-ready at least six months before the event. The directors also noted the appointment of forensic auditors to review ticketing during the ICC Cricket World Cup, including allegations of black marketing.

“Even though the event was hugely successful, it is important for us to learn lessons so that we can continually improve our events,” said Lorgat.

The executive board noted that the Test match between England and India at Lord’s in London, starting July 21, will be the 2,000th Test match in cricket’s history.

“We are planning to mark the occasion by celebrating this fantastic milestone. Test cricket is the pinnacle format of our game and I am confident this series will confirm this enduring format in front of full houses,” said Lorgat.