A chronic dose of institutional paralysis

If I find one thing more objectionable than the incredulous inaction shown by the ICC over the dire mismanagement of Zimbabwean cricket, it is the self justification of their inaction through their latest media release.

ESPNcricinfo staff

25-Feb-2013

The ICC is losing credibility with every utterance of self importance that spews from its cosy confines, detaching itself from the Zimbabwean situation and even further from the hearts and minds of the millions of stakeholders to whom the game of cricket means so much and dare I say belongs.

The last time that the ICC offered an opinion on the Zimbabwe issue, they cited their own rules as justification of their inability to intervene. One of the most disturbing aspects of their recent repetition of this restriction is they now add that intervention is not only prevented, but it also is not the best way for the issue to be resolved.

The problem, they say, can only be fixed from within.

“If Zimbabwe is to reunite its fractured cricket community, the only lasting solution will come from within the Zimbabwe cricket community”

That argument would only hold true if the immune system in Zimbabwe was up to the task of fighting its own disease. However, Zimbabwe’s antibodies are on a permanent vacation and show no sign of booking a return flight home.

The ICC goes on to say, that a solution is;

“conditional on it having the support of Zimbabwe Cricket, an entirely necessary pre-condition if any progress is to be made”

This may well be true, but support can come in a number ways and for a number of reasons and not necessarily benevolent ones. The ICC could possibly find that Zimbabwe cricket supports a resolution from fear of the financial risks to its own survival if they failed to tow the line. Unfortunately the ICC is demonstrating a total reluctance to draw that line in the sand.

The tone of the latest ICC release would suggest they are recoiling from the criticisms that have been levelled against them over their stance on Zimbabwe. They have retaliated by pointing venom tipped fingers at their accusers from all angles, obtusely and cynically complaining that their critics have not offered up a detailed solution to the problem.

“The simplistic view expressed by some is that it is time for the ICC to roll up its sleeves, flex it muscles and get in and "fix it" - although how this is to be achieved is left, not surprisingly, vague.”

If the media, the fans, or the players sat on the board of the ICC then offering a solution would be their job. However we look to the ICC for such solutions, as is a reasonable expectation from the governing body of the sport.

The ICC says that their current stance is the unpopular one. Well they are on the money with that one at least. But they are trying to extract credibility from their unpopularity, by implying that the tough road they are taking is in the best interests of the game and to hell with those that don’t like their stringent stance.

Oh that this were true. The reality is that their vehicles are sitting stationary in the driveway and they are not taking any direction at all, and this is what is so infuriating about their recent release. They are unpopular because they are demonstrating detachment from the game in immeasurable quantities, not because they are striding boldly into a controversial solution.

The ICC has further suggested that its public critics are “playing to the audience” at the expense of any validity their critics may have when commenting on the ICC’s performance. Perhaps they will one day realise that the audience to which the critics are playing is the ICC itself and there is a desperation for them to watch the show.

The symptoms of institutional paralysis include a proliferation of lengthy speeches, a series of self serving media releases and ultimately an inability to cast relevance over the shadows of the problems the organisation is there to police. The diagnosis for the ICC is chronic.