The PAWAR Era

Sharad Pawar

The International Cricket Council (ICC)’s two years under new president Sharad Pawar began yesterday with a number of decisions passed during its annual board meet in Singapore. He takes over from England’s David Morgan and is the second India, after Jagmohan Dalmiya, to occupy the top slot in the ICC. Soon after assuming office, he promised steps to resume bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.

The decisions passed during the meet include formal award of the hosting rights of the 2012 T20 World Cup to Sri Lanka and the 2015 ODI World Cup to Australia and New Zealand. Also passed are a Champions Trophy in 2013 in England and a T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh. This would mean that an ICC event would be occupying the Future Tours Programme every year, till 2015. And 2016 will see another T20 World Cup, amounting to eight years since 2009 when the major cricketing nations of the world would come together in a common tournament.

The anti-doping code, proposed by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), is also expected to be institutionalised in August this year. Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, expressed that the concerns raised by the BCCI and the Indian players against the whereabouts clause have been addressed to the satisfaction of the board. However it is regrettable that the ICC has not discussed anything relating to the World Test Championship which finds favour with most of the Test playing captains. With two World T20s and one Champions Trophy in the next four years, it will only remain a pipedream.