POLITICAL intrigue, government interference and internal conflicts were all present at the ICC meeting last week in London. Nothing new there you might think, but the difference was that the ICC History Conference in Oxford was actually a remarkably positive affirmation of what was good in the game despite two days of swopping stories about some of cricket’s most controversial turning points.
The History Conference in Oxford saw some of the greatest names in the game debating with the sport’s sharpest academics in front of a disturbingly well informed audience that included the ICC’s current leadership David Morgan and Haroon Lorgat throughout.
The historians revealed some remarkable stories: The start of the 3 nation Imperial Cricket Council a century ago was linked to the British desire to win contracts in the growing South African economy. Cricket’s role in the protection of the Commonwealth from Soviet influence was demonstrated with the Australian Government requesting the Australian Board to send their first choice team to India to bolster their political position.
There were some notable highlights. Sourav Ganguly’s praise of the ICL’s role in raising the income of Indian domestic players drew some raised eyebrows from the sizable contingent of Indian academics. There was a sparky confrontation between writer Gideon Haigh and the ECB’s Giles Clarke. over the decision to take cricket off terrestrial television in England. Clive Lloyd described how he took the finest of the West Indies to Kerry Packer’s world series to improve the income for players but then laughed at the current argument in the West Indies as “increased pay for players averaging 15”.
Inevitably a short conference glossed over the surface of the many controversial moments in cricket’s history but the amount of subjects covered by a series of panels was remarkable.
The presentations on the growth of the game in Afghanistan and the USA were timely as the two teams are due to play in Dubai in October.
England’s women cricketers talked of the value of growing up playing with boys, just as womens cricket in England has benefited by being to sold to broadcaster Sky as part of a bundle with the mens game (perhaps an area for the BCCI in their next billion dollar tender).
The atmosphere was cheerful, enthusiastic and inquisitive in the character of its chief organiser Boria Majumdar. The remarkable thing about the 2 days was the enjoyment gained from hearing cricket people talk of their love for the game. Even the leaders of the ICC took up student accomodation and maybe that helped remind everyone of why they entered the sport rather than the billion dollar deals that so often dominate and depress cricketing conversation.
The author is COO, Taj Television Ltd.
