BCCI's dominance in World Cricket: Can it be Justified?

There are talks in the cricketing world about the ICC being dominated by the BCCI. BCCI in the past has been accused of using its financial might to influence some of the decisions made by the ICC. How often do we hear some of the other member countries and former cricketers accusing the BCCI for its interference in some key cricketing issues? It is probably a reflection of the financial power of the world’s richest cricketing board – but does that give it the license to dominate on a global scale?

BCCI is one of the ten full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but there’s something about the board that makes it a tad more powerful than other member boards; that is evident in the global arena. In the famous Sydney Test match in January 2008, renowned umpire Steve Bucknor had made some controversial decisions which helped Australia win the match. The BCCI soon stepped in and Bucknor was replaced in the next match; Bucknor blamed India’s financial power for his ouster. In the same Test there was another unwanted incident- Bhajji-Symonds’ “Monkey-Gate”incident. Harbhajan was banned for three matches initially but it was lifted following a severe protest by the Indian team and the BCCI. The BCCI has always been in the limelight, most of the time for the wrong reasons; the most recent victim of its might being Daryl Harper. Harper, a renowned umpire was going to retire after the IND-WI series in 2011, but he retired from umpiring following some heavy criticism from India during the first Test against the West Indies.

These are not the only incidents that prove BCCI’s might, there are many such more. One of them being BCCI’s position on the DRS (Decision Review System). The rigid stance of the BCCI on the DRS was heavily criticized by other ICC members and some former and current international players. BCCI has been firmly opposing the DRS system, and they have strong reasons to do that as India, most times has been on the receiving end of wrong decisions, but the truth is simply that “right decisions” were made. BCCI has questioned the credibility of the technology used specially the Hawk-Eye system, which is regularly used in tennis. Paul Hawkings, the creator of the technology is of the opinion that it can be fully implemented in cricket and the probability of an error is pretty low. Using technology in cricket will bring about only a positive change in cricket, but many cricket-gurus fail to understand why the BCCI has been opposing the use of technology. That’s a debatable issue, but should the ICC give the BCCI’s opinion so much weight-age when 9 other full members are in favor of its use? After all, the BCCI is just one of the ten full member nations of the ICC. But then again, the BCCI is special and the ICC knows that. It is a major source of revenue and it simply cannot afford to hamper its relationship with the most wealthiest member. ICC’s role on some key issues regarding the BCCI has also been a subject of criticism by some well known cricketing personalities.

This brings us to the question again, “Is the BCCI dominating the ICC and the world cricket?” maybe yes, but according to some cricket pundits, there is nothing wrong in that. I’ll tell you why.

Every cricketing nation is always eager to host the Men in Blue on its soil. Not always for “cricketing benefits” but most of the time for “benefits through cricket”. The country which hosts the Indian team earns a bulk of money through broadcasting rights, sponsorship etc. No team earns you more than the Indian team when you host them. One of the reason for the World Cup 2007 not being a success on the viewership scale was the early ouster of India in that tournament; it cost the ICC heavily. That was the primary reason for the change in format of the 2011 World Cup where teams had to play a minimum of six games before they could get knocked out of the championship. India went on to win the WC which not only earned ICC some big bucks but also the sponsors benefited too. Clearly, the Indian Team is a golden-goose and thus, BCCI has every right to be a dominant figure on the world stage.

Two, not to forget the billion dollar league – The IPL. It is the BCCI’s favorite child. Not only it has improved the quality of Indian domestic players, but it has helped some foreign players cement their place in their national sides. Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh,Ryan Harris are some players who were not that well-known before they played in the IPL. The IPL has discovered a big bunch of Indian players as well, with the likes of Yusuf Pathan,Rohit Sharma,Amit Mishra,Pragyan Ojha, Sourabh Tiwary and many more. The success of the league is on par with the likes of NBA and EPL as far as the profit margins are concerned. Everyone wants to be associated with it. The league has taken cricket to the next level and we should be proud of that.

Apart from that, the Indian team in the past has always been a victim of “double standards” by the ICC. Many incidents can be recalled where Indian or the sub-continent players were punished by match referees and British or Aussie players were warned and let-off in more serious issues. They could not see a certain Lee or Jhonson or Andre Nel sledging Indian batsmen but when Sreesanth did the same to other teams, he was punished. Many more such examples come into my mind, but the important thing here is that ICC has had a soft spot for British or Aussie or a South African player. The Code of Conduct seems to be different for them and the subcontinental players. So what is wrong in BCCI letting the world know who the real Daddy is? They are the ones who will dictate terms. And however mighty the BCCI is, the Indian team has always been humble and played the game in the spirit of the game. Remember the recent Bell saga?

So when you hear about the BCCI influencing the ICC, just give it a second thought rather than blaming the board straightway. The Dominance of BCCI can certainly be justified. The future looks bright for the Indian cricket, the future looks bright for world cricket with BCCI playing a key role in that.