Survey shows players lack faith in the ICC

Tim May keeping a close eye on Malcolm Speed © Getty Images

The ICC has lost the confidence of the majority of international players and is under pressure to review its "outdated" structure.

A survey conducted by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) during the World Cup makes miserable reading for ICC officials, with 56% of players questioning its ability to run the game and 89% rating the tournament in the Caribbean as average or worse and 87% saying it was too long.

Tim May, FICA's chief executive, called on the ICC to seriously consider reviewing the way it operates. "There has been a growing amount of dissatisfaction amongst a wide variety of cricket stakeholders over the past 24 months, regarding the governance of our game.

"An independent review will determine what is the best and most applicable structure for cricket's international governing body. We strongly believe that the present structure is outdated and not in the best interests of the game."

May, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, pointed the finger of blame at the committees which run the organisation rather than the individuals at the top. "It's these committees that are ultimately responsible for the performance of the organisation. These committees are mainly comprised of individual representatives of its full members.

"These committees' composition are more than likely to deliver outcomes that are decided on party lines and the self interest of its members rather than the overall good of the game. Affiliation and loyalty to other committee members constituencies must take second place to their duty to the international board and the best interests to the game as a whole.

"The review may well decide that the present structure is the most applicable - if so, all well and good, at least crickets' stakeholders will then know that it is the best structure for our game. But at the moment we don't know whether it is and increasingly stakeholders want to know if there is a better structure."

The World Cup was the subject of the most vehement thumbs-down from the players. "Despite the better than expected playing and venue conditions, the better than expected travel arrangements and other logistical arrangements, the players have returned a less than average rating of the event," May said. "The death of Bob Woolmer, the early exit of India and Pakistan, the long and laborious Super Eights, the lack of exciting matches, the rain-affected final, the unfortunate umpire/referee error at the final, and the long periods that players had at their disposal between matches all affected the players' opinion.

"The less than average rating for the event is consistent with general viewer experience ... small crowds, lack of enthusiasm, one-sided matches are not the recipe for a great report card."