Shashank Manohar’s resignation as chairman of the International Cricket Council on March 15 came as a surprise to many people in cricket administration. He had brought about the much-needed reforms in the governance structure of the ICC.
The old guard in the Board of Control for Cricket in India staunchly opposed Manohar’s undoing of the governance model crafted by former ICC chairman N. Srinivasan. They continued their bid to garner support from the Asian bloc and financially struggling cricket boards—West Indies and Zimbabwe. The old guard considers Manohar’s resignation as a victory before ICC’s board meeting in April.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Manohar said that as the ICC had already got the mandate to implement financial and constitutional changes, there was no looking back. The Committee Of Administrators, in a statement, expressed surprise at Manohar’s “sudden decision”, while the ICC said it would assess the situation.
Excerpts from the interview:
Are you disillusioned by reports of the BCCI getting enough support to block reform proposals mooted by you?
Not at all.
Then why have you resigned?
It has nothing to do with the ICC’s functioning, the BCCI related issues or governance models to be put in place. The reasons are genuinely personal. I have never shied away from any responsibility. I have never run away.
What happens now to the reform process in the BCCI and the ICC that you have strongly supported?
That [BCCI] I do not know. As for the Big Three [India, Australia and England], it has gone last year itself. As per earlier rules, the chairman of the ICC board will be elected from the ICC board with all the full member directors entitled to stand for election. That is gone.
The finance and commercial committee earlier had representatives of the Big Three as its chair—that is gone. One of the three would have chaired the governance committee—that is gone.
As far as the changes in commercial and revenue structures of the ICC are concerned, those stand changed, too. The constitutional amendments are done. In the February 2017 board meeting of the ICC, there was an agreement in principle to have financial and constitutional changes.
Did you speak to other ICC board members or the COA of your decision to resign?
I did not speak to any members. Yes, on Tuesday evening I met Vinod Rai and Vikram Limaye for the first time in Mumbai. I had met Limaye earlier in Dubai when he came for the ICC board meeting. I told them I had decided to resign. We discussed various issues. It was a very cordial, good meeting.
Is it true that the BCCI’s old guard has been successful in blocking your reforms with the help of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe?
The same news came to me before the meeting in February. Only one name is missing in your list today—West Indies. You know the result of the ICC meeting in February. All proposals got cleared.
Any regrets? Are you happy with your decision?
I am always happy. In my life, my happiness is most important.
