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- 'Unfortunately, the BCCI is being deprived of a seat in the ICC finance committee. When 70 per cent of the ICC’s income comes from the BCCI, why should we not have a place in the finance committee?'
The fight between the International Cricket Council and Board of Control for Cricket in India is getting really serious and uglier with each passing day.
An angry BCCI has now threatened to withdraw the Indian team from the next year’s Champions Trophy in England after being excluded from the ICC’s finance committee meeting, held a few days back in Dubai.
Secretary Ajay Shirke said the BCCI's non-inclusion in the ICC's finance committee meeting is "a humiliation".
"These are the committees where all the important decisions are taken -- finance, commerce and chief executives committee; India not having a representative (in those committees) is a humiliation for us. We will tell the ICC, ‘either you amend this or we will decide what to do to protect India’s cricket interests globally’. It could be anything. We may even not play the Champions Trophy. Better sense may prevail, and we may not reach that stage at all. But there are so many options," Shirke was quoted as saying by The Indian Express on Wednesday.
The BCCI is unhappy with quite a few recent changes advocated by the ICC, which, interestingly, is headed by former BCCI chief Shashank Manohar.
After taking over as Chairman of the ICC in May, Manohar criticised the 'Big Three' revenue model, according to which India gets a major share of revenues along with Australia and England, calling it "bullying".
The BCCI is unhappy with the ICC's latest move to revoke the 'Big Three' model and plans for a two-tier system in Test cricket.
"The problem with the ICC now is that it is acting like a dictator. Apart from the Big Three model that the ICC now wants to change, it is slowly trying to keep the BCCI at bay,” another top BCCI official, who did not wish to be identified, told The Indian Express.
"Unfortunately, the BCCI is being deprived of a seat in the ICC finance committee. When 70 per cent of the ICC’s income comes from the BCCI, why should we not have a place in the finance committee? There’s no question of domination, but is the ICC trying to be a Robin Hood -- robbing the rich and giving it to the poor?” said a BCCI office-bearer.
Earlier this month, the BCCI had expressed reservations over the International Cricket Council's decision to earmark a budget of $135 million (approx) as organisational cost for the Champions Trophy, scheduled in the United Kingdom from June 1-18, next year.
It marks a three-fold increase from the $45 million that was allocated to the BCCI by the ICC for the World T20, held from March 8 to April 3 this year.
What many in the BCCI find baffling is the huge cost escalation for a 19-day tournament in UK considering it will host only 15 matches compared to the World T20 in India, which was a 27-day event with 58 matches in all (35 men's and 23 women's matches).