The Indian cricket establishment is known more for its greed than belief in transparent and just governance. Over the years, it has preferred to worship mammon, regardless of means adopted. Instead of creating checks and balances to ward off controversies reeking of financial impropriety, they chose to run the board like a well-oiled feudal machine. In this game of power and control, image of the game suffered a grievous blow, forcing the Supreme Court to intervene and create a parallel body, that is trying its best to get Lodha reforms implemented without disruption in the running of the game, regardless of developments off the field.
But all of a sudden we have a confrontation brewing, not pitting the committee of administrators (CoA) against the BCCI, but the ICC against the BCCI, which is threatening to derail the Champions Trophy. The reasons are well known. The seeds were sown a few years back by the Big Three of India, Australia, England, in their quest to corner a major share from the profits of the world body. It was a formula mooted by discredited former BCCI president N Srinivasan, and endorsed by Australia and England. Under this unfair formula, India was to get a major chunk, followed by Australia and England, with the crumbs going to other Test-playing and associate members. Even South Africa was left out, placed in the second rung of Test nations.
The argument in support was that because 70-80 per cent of the revenue ICC generates through its tournaments comes from Indian advertisers, BCCI deserves a major share of the money. Since Australia and England are the other two that get the highest viewership and contribute substantially in swelling ICC coffers, they too should be treated favourably. This move was, after acrimonious debate, adopted by the ICC, with the Big Three getting a lion’s share of not only revenue, but also distribution of matches.
There was a lot of disquiet over what many observers, both inside and outside the ICC, felt was like a crony corporate governance model, that did not take into account a just distribution system, to help underdeveloped cricketing nations improve their infrastructure and become more competitive. Test cricket is already limited to just ten nations and even among them, not all are able enough to compete with the best. It needs to spread to not only more countries, but also get strengthened among those already in the main league. For that to happen it is imperative that the huge amount of profits the ICC makes goes into helping smaller, newer nations, through a financial assistance programme.
The ICC realised that a correction needed to be made in this unfair distribution. It is sad that the richest cricket playing nation, which on its own strength makes billions through telecast rights, IPL and other modes, and does not need external assistance, should cry foul and haggle for $100-200 million more. As it is, even in ICC’s new revenue model, India gets the biggest share. For them to feel peeved and threaten boycott of the Champions Trophy over this does not behove a nation that should be at the forefront of helping cricket spread and grow, even if it means shelling out some money from the huge profits they make.
Instead of reviling Shashank Manohar, India should be proud that he has presided over a governance model that gives primacy to fair, equitable governance and not to a national board’s individual greed.