“ICC has been reduced to an events-organising company” - Mike Atherton questions cricket’s governing body

Former England captain Mike Atherton has questioned the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s silence over the sport’s “moral issues”. While admitting that players have become powerful in recent times, Atherton lamented that cricket’s governing body has been reduced to “an events-organising company.”

The game of cricket has seen some major conflicts between boards in recent times. First, India pulled out of the last Test against England in Manchester, citing COVID-19 fears after positive cases in the camp. Ironically, an IPL match went ahead on Wednesday in Dubai, despite a player testing positive.

Further, New Zealand and England recently pulled out of their tours of Pakistan, citing security threat and mental health issues respectively. Pakistan had visited both countries even as the two nations were still grappling with the pandemic.

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In his latest column for thetimes.co.uk, Atherton, who had earlier lashed out at the ECB, took a dig at the ICC over their refusal to have a say on pertinent off-field matters.

“At the same time that the players have become more powerful, so some governing bodies have become weaker," he wrote. "The ICC, the game’s supposedly ultimate powerbroker, has been reduced to an events-organising company."

"It runs its properties well — World Cups, World Test Championships and the like — but has little standing where the game’s moral issues are concerned and little influence over the game’s direction," he added. "The ICC has had an acting chief executive since July."

The former England captain also questioned the ECB over their revelation that individual players were not consulted over the decision to cancel the scheduled trip to Pakistan.

“According to the ECB, individual players were not consulted, but the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), Team England Player Partnership and England Women Player Partnership were, and these were key," Atherton further wrote. "How far they had consulted members is moot, but it is hard to think that they did not consult senior playing voices."

Following New Zealand’s decision to pull out of their Pakistan tour, the ECB also made a decision on similar lines, citing that their players’ mental well-being could be affected if they visit the country.

Money and opportunity have made players powerful: Mike Atherton

The 53-year-old further pointed out that money and franchise T20 leagues have made the players more powerful than ever before. Atherton conceded that, unlike earlier times, cricketers can now make a career out of the game, even without playing international cricket.

“Two factors have made the players far more powerful than previously," Atherton wrote in his column. "The first is money, and the way it is distributed, and the second is opportunity."

"More money has allowed for the players’ advisers, such as the PCA, to be better organised and emboldened in negotiations," he explained. "The way money is distributed, by a huge retainer contract rather than loaded towards match time, means that the incentives are skewed away from having to play."

Discussing specifically how the dynamics have changed due to the influence of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Atherton elaborated:

“Greater opportunity outside of international cricket, through franchised T20 leagues, means the players hold the whip hand. Bizarrely, the ECB has allowed a situation where it, as the employer, has washed its hands of its contracted players for two months of the year during the Indian Premier League (which became longer than two months this year, with players unavailable for the New Zealand series because of it)."

"It has conceded this because it fears the consequences if it takes on the players," he added. "Players have new options beyond international cricket.”

Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Eoin Morgan are among the big names from England taking part in the second half of IPL 2021, which resumed in the UAE on September 19.