Outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay believes Jay Shah has the ability to pull cricket out of the current “mess” and take it to another level but also cautioned his successor against keeping the game “under the yoke of India”. Barclay, who stepped down from his position on December 1 after a four-year term in the middle of an ongoing crisis over the Champions Trophy venues, has acknowledged that cricket is witnessing challenging times. “I think he (Shah) has got a great opportunity to use what he’s got in his background to help India take the game to another level, but without making it sort of under the yoke of India as well,” Barclay was quoted as saying by ‘The Telegraph’.
“We’re really lucky to have India, they’re a massive contributor to the game across all the measures, but one country having that amount of power and influence does distort a whole lot of other outcomes, which is not necessarily helpful in terms of that global growth.”
He said Shah has the ability to bring India into the international fold even more. “There are a number of things that India could do to help unite and grow the game, including commercially helping to pool off-shore rights, using their teams to give opportunity to smaller full members and emerging countries, using their clout to open new territories and markets, collaborating closely with the ICC to help benefit members, as examples,” he said.
Barclay admitted that presently there is an overkill of cricket and at times he even lost track of the congested international calendar.
“I reckon, gee, I’m at the apex of the game and I can’t tell you who’s playing around the world. In fact, I didn’t realise that Sri Lanka were in South Africa until I read about Marco Jansen‘s seven wickets this morning,” Barclay said. “So we’ve lost perspective. It’s not great for the game at all. It’s a mess. The calendar is incredibly congested and self-interest is such that it’s almost impossible to untangle all of that, because no one’s going to give up their content,” he said.
Barclay said ICC was right in not sanctioning Afghanistan’s full membership membership status after the country’s cricket Board was not allowed by the ruling Taliban government to field a women’s team. “It is not the Afghanistan board’s fault. They used to have women’s cricket. I think our approach has been right. It would be easy to kick Afghanistan out, but their board haven’t done anything wrong. They’re just working under a decree and a series of laws that says this is what you have to do. I don’t think it would make a jot of difference to the ruling party there to kick them out.
“Maybe I’m a little naïve, but I think cricket is such a force for good there, and it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. It is better to leave it there and hope that it can foster a bit of a change,” he said.
Barclay also took a dig at Cricket Australia, which cancelled multiple bilateral series against Afghanistan but has played them in ICC events.
“If you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup. Sure, it might cost you a semifinal place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle.”
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