Crowe joins opposition against controversial ICC revamp plan

Hamilton, Jan 27:
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has joined the chorus calling for the withdrawal of the controversial proposal to revamp the ICC piloted by India, England and Australia, despite his country’s Board’s support to the plan.
Crowe has informed compatriot Alan Isaac, the ICC president, that he supported the letter sent by ex-ICC chief Ehsan Mani and other former top cricket administrators that the proposal should be withdrawn.
“I endorse wholeheartedly the letter by Mr Ehsan Mani to the ICC regards their position paper,” Crowe said in an e-mail to Issac, according to a media report.
NZ Cricket chief executive David White and Board member Martin Snedden will attend the Dubai meeting before which the controversial ‘Position Paper’ is expected to be tabled later in the week.
Snedden said last week he was comfortable with India receiving more ICC money, given they generate 70-80 per cent of ICC revenue.
“I understand how it’s constructed and we’re accepting that India is going to take a much bigger slice of the pie and we’re not resisting that.”
Snedden said NZC’s priority this week was to lock in commitments from India and other major nations that they would tour New Zealand once in every four-year cycle as is currently locked in under the Future Tours Programme. Revenue from India tours via television rights is by far NZ Cricket’s highest earner.
His five goals from the ICC meeting, as directed by the NZC board, are: a workable governance system at the ICC; ratification of the existing Future Tours Programme schedule through to 2020, with the hope of extending it to 2023; confirmation of the current ICC events schedule (World Cups and World T20) through to 2023; a firm commitment from India to the Future Tours Programme and ICC events schedule; and an ICC revenue sharing model “that guarantees strong growth of NZ Cricket’s revenue for the 2015-23 period,” the ‘Firfax NZ News’ report said. (PTI)