Greg Barclay, the newly-appointed chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has made a bold statement regarding the world’s top cricketing boards – Indian, Australia, and England board after taking the charge, saying there is no “big 3” anymore.
Barclay, who has been serving as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Director since 2012 and also served as the director of the 2015 ICC World Cup, defeated Singapore's Imran Khwaja – who was interim chairman of the world body recently, in the race to succeed India's Shashank Manohar as ICC chief.
Auckland-based Barclay is a commercial lawyer by profession, has made it clear that he doesn't “subscribe to the concept of 'Big 3' in cricket”, and even claimed that the powerful triumvirate of BCCI, ECB, and CA doesn't exist at all now by saying all boards would be treated equally during his tenure.
Barclay said in a video on ICC-cricket.com, “There is no 'Big 3' as far as I am concerned. I don't subscribe to it at all. All members are important and should be treated equally.”
He further added, “I do accept concerns of members could be different... I do accept that some of those bigger counties can provide certain outcomes to the ICC along the lines of hosting and revenue so again we need to take that into account and recognize that but there is no 'Big 3'.”
In the lead-up to the elections, there were talks that Barclay favors bilateral cricket over ICC events but he has now cleared his point by saying: “I am sick hearing about the fact I am in favor of bilateral cricket over everything else. I want to see all of its work in perfect harmony.”
The ICC chief further explained, “There has been a lot of misrepresentation in the media around that but the fact is, of course, I am an advocate of bilateral cricket, it is the lifeblood of cricket in all countries. Countries playing each other on a regular basis sustained competitive relevant competition is what drives fan engagement. It is what drives the development pathways; it is a vital part of cricket. But that doesn't mean that world events are not as important. The ICC runs world-class events.
If you look at what happened with the women's T20 all the way through the final, the ODI World Cup last year, they were amazing events. They are pinnacle events no doubt about that. I would need to say they (bilateral and global events) need to work in conjunction with each other, one can't sit in isolation from the other. I am very conscious of the delicate ecosystem that crickets sit on.”
He also stressed the need to take care of the well being of players who are now set for the busy schedule following Coronavirus-forced break across the world.
Barclay signed off by saying, “Then you got leagues like the IPL and Big Bash. Then you have to look at the athletes' health, safety, and wealth which is paramount. We can't expect them to perform day in and day out through the year. Again, we have to balance out that along with fans. At the end of the day, it only works if the fans want it.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
