Time for ECB to wake up and smell the coffee

Once upon a time world cricket was run by the Imperial Cricket Committee housed at the Marylebone Cricket Club's premises at Lord's in the heart of London.

Even though MCC has still been bestowed the honour of "framing" rules of the game, the power shift in international cricket administration has been most remarkable. ICC is no longer based in London but moved its headquarters the more tax-friendly environs of Dubai. And it was a step in the right direction since the game had indeed become a money-spinner in more ways than one.

The recent spat between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India is yet another example of ever-decreasing influence of the birthplace of the game on the global horizon.

ECB has appealed to ICC for resolution of the dispute regarding the five-Test series against India after BCCI questioned the home administration's claims of a "forfeiture" rather than a simple "cancellation". 

Of course, the reasons for the difference of opinion is way beyond mere financial. The ECB would have hardly faced any significant losses despite a cancellation as all international cricket is played under the ICC rules which clearly stipulate that safety of the players and those involved directly with the running of the game is paramount. Plus insurance payouts more than cover expenses.

Hence Team India's reluctance to take the field at Manchester has plenty of plausible reasons, least of it being the fear of missing out on the cash-rich Indian Premier League due to start September 21 in the United Arab Emirates.

It now transpires that while BCCI had indeed requested ECB to wrap up the India series by September 5 in order to give players enough of a gap before the IPL, England preferred to delay the start till August 4. 

That put Team India in a quandary as returning home was not practical given the tough restrictions on international travel. Indian players were twiddling their thumbs post June 24 when the World Test Championship final ended against New Zealand. England went through ODI and T20 contests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan through this period. Even these games ended by July 20, a full fortnight before the start of first Test against India.

ECB's seemingly rigid stance as to their summer schedule seems to backfired badly when Team India pulled out of the fifth and final Test while leading 2-1. More than the result of the series, its the ignominy of a cancellation that seems to have left rather bruised egos within ECB.

Now with BCCI adopting a "take it or leave it" stance ECB has been left with no option but to seek a resolution through the ICC.

BCCI's offer of extra game(s) as compensation seems to have done little to smooth the ruffled feathers and ECB has gone ahead with its demand of a forfeiture of the Manchester Test, quite understandably unacceptable to India.

A forfeiture means several things. England will draw the Test series 2-2, avoiding a home loss to India since 1974. Plus the series would have been technically completed, forcing the broadcast rights holders to pay up, something that is bound to go into re-negotiation in case of a cancelled game.

It would appear ECB may have bitten off more than it can chew.

Going by its own procedures and safety protocols for the prevailing Covid19 pandemic, ICC may have very wriggle room on the subject given the positive test result of Team India's assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar. Coupled with the earlier positive result and isolation of chief coach Ravi Shastri along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and chief physio Nitin Patel gives the players more than sufficient reason to fear for their well-being.

That ECB did not provide a "bio-secure bubble" and instead chose a "controlled environment" may go against it too. After all ensuring safety and security of all concerned is the primary responsibility of the hosts.

Given the scenario, it hardly appears that ECB's appeal may not cut much ice with ICC. No longer does ECB enjoy the pride of place on the ICC board as it did several decades ago. And neither does its diktat run beyond the borders of the United Kingdom.

Welcome to the new world cricket order!

Yet another classic case of tail wagging the dog

The cancellation of the Manchester Test between England and India has yet again thrown up the big question facing world cricket - who actually runs the game?

And, believe it or not, there are no easy answers.

International Cricket Council may be the authorised world governing body but it would well appear that its diktat hardly runs outside of its swank Dubai office building.

How else can Board of Control for Cricket in India make the England and Wales Cricket Board agree to "cancel" the fifth Test match of the series instead of the "forfeit" as demanded by the hosts. 

After it was not merely a question of the $ 18 million in revenue losses but also precious World Test Championship points at stake. Besides there was the small question of a home series loss at the hand of visiting Indians, something that had not happened in over a decade.

As it transpires, the Indian Premier League was scheduled to hold remainder of its interrupted 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates starting September 19, exactly five days after what would have been the scheduled end of the Old Trafford Test.

A chartered flight had already been arranged to fly the players to the UAE on September 15.

But then came the twist in the plot.

India's chief coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for the dreaded Covid19 virus, leading to his immediate contacts being put in isolation. So Team India went through the Oval Test without a bowling coach Bharat Arun and chief physiotherapist Nitin Patel apart from Shastri. 

That sent jitters through the IPL franchisees who now looked at an added 10-day quarantine in England for anyone else testing positive apart from the mandatory six-day quarantine enforced by the UAE government on travellers from the United Kingdom.

With no chance of getting any concession from the UAE authorities on the issue, ECB was held responsible for allowing the tour to proceed is a "controlled" environment rather than a "bio-secure bubble" as had been the case with the India versus New Zealand WTC final at Southampton in late June.

Final nail in the Test series coffin was the positive report of India's assistant physio Yogesh Parmar, who had been treating most players in his boss' enforced absence.

Now the apprehension that in case a player contracted the infection it could very well mean the entire squad missing out on the IPL action.

This was not acceptable to either the franchisees or BCCI.

Hence the forfeit drama unfolded when ECB chose to take the high moral ground and declare the Test as "theirs" in its first statement on Septemer 10, barely hours before the captains would have been stepping out in the middle for the toss. 

Immediately BCCI started working the phone lines to UK and Dubai and finally got the Englishmen to relent and agree to "cancel" the Test, using the Covid19 related clause of the ICC which seeks that teams may not be penalised is they unable to field a team for a particular game due to the virus.

ECB was reminded in no uncertain terms that it was not penalised when they abandoned midway their tour of South Africa last year. Plus BCCI made the conciliatory offer of playing the "cancelled" Test match at a mutually convenient date in the future. That also let the insurance company off the hook since, technically at least, the Old Trafford Test had only been postponed to be held later.

Under pressure from all sides, including host broadcasters who have the mouth-watering prospect of extra five days of cricket coming their way possibly in 2022 itself when Team India is scheduled to played the white-ball series of the 50-over and T20 internationals, ECB was forced to relent.

Even though ECB officials held on to their initial argument that Team India indeed had more than enough personnel to go through the Test without a hitch, it was all settled in favour of the visitors who quickly got down to arranging the flights for players to the UAE.

IPL finally prevailed in avoiding another interruption, or even a poor turnout, in case some in the touring party indeed returned positive Covid19 test reports. 

All's well that end well. 

ICC got to keep its place of prominence as the world body even though it had no choice but to back the BCCI since the T20 World Cup follows close on the heals of the IPL at the same venues. Any hiccups and there could be another abandonment, which ICC can ill afford after having gone through the pain of the same only a year ago.

Money talks!