Internal probe a loss of face for ICC

There was a surprise in store for those waiting for the outcome of the International Cricket Council’s Board meeting on Thursday. It is the world cricket governing body’s highest decision-making panel, consisting of the heads of the 12 Test-playing nations, the ICC chairman and five others. On the agenda was a decision on the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia later this year, which has become uncertain due to the pandemic. There were other important topics, including the process to elect a new ICC chairman. But the ICC put on hold all decisions until June 10 and announced instead that an internal probe has been launched into allegations of confidential matters being leaked out. An official statement said that outgoing ICC chairman Shashank Manohar himself led these discussions.

Breach of confidentiality is a serious issue; more so in this case because it involves the who’s who of contemporary cricket administration, including BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. It is rare if not unprecedented for the ICC to launch an investigation into the affairs of its own Board. It is the forum where key decisions are taken, policies are framed and financial terms are finalised. If the ICC itself feels what should not go out of the four walls is going out and appoints an investigator to find out the culprit, it has to be understood that something is wrong. In all probability, Manohar and his colleagues are irked by the news that the T20 World Cup would be postponed even before a decision was announced. While the event may still be postponed, the ICC is worried about information filtering out.

If nothing else, this is a loss of face for the ICC, which has often been criticised for handing out preferential treatment to the boards stronger in stature and position. Depending on the findings of the investigation, this may lead to further embarrassment as well. The world may ask whether an institution that cannot assure confidentiality of its in-house dealings is competent enough to efficiently run a billion-dollar industry. The extent of damage will be known in due course, but this is something the ICC could have done without.