ICC refuses to protect BCCI from Lodha committee reforms

The International Cricket Council has said that Board of Control for Cricket in India president Anurag Thakur had requested them to shield the cricket organization from applying the Lodha panel recommendations which have been forced upon it by India’s Supreme Court.

But ICC chief executive David Richardson has said that the world body does not wish to get involved in the ongoing tussle between the Lodha Committee and the BCCI.Richardson said that Thakur wanted a letter from the ICC asking them to clarify whether the government can interfere in the matters of the board. As per the norms of the ICC, such a thing is not possible.

Richardson also added that the current ICC chairman Shashank Manohar is not too keen on getting involved in the matter unless BCCI officially requests them to interfere."The BCCI president Mr Thakur did verbally ask the ICC to write a letter to the BCCI asking the BCCI to explain whether the recommendations of Lodha Committee might constitute government interference," Richardson was quoted PTI.

"But Mr Manohar said that the ICC should not write such a letter unless the BCCI first writes to the ICC requesting us to intervene, or ICC receives a letter from another of its member boards to do so. But no such letters have been received still.

"So I understand that Mr Manohar is reluctant to interfere in the domestic affairs of a member country. He will not do so without being formally requested to do so by the member concerned and nor is he prepared to put the ICC in a position where it could be perceived as challenging the authority of the Supreme Court of India.

"Don't forget... the consequences of the government interference could lead to the suspension of a member board and nobody really wants the BCCI to be suspended.”Richardson also said that he believes Thakur was not too happy about ICC refusing to hand them the letter.

" Other board members present when that request was made by Mr Thakur. As far as I (could) see, it was Mr Thakur who actually criticised the ICC for not sending the letter."In July this year, the Supreme Court of India agreed with the majority of the recommendations which were put forth by the Lodha committee and the BCCI was given a six-month deadline to implement the reforms at the state and central level.