C Randall: Leaders pitch in at Lord's summit meeting (19 May 1998)

Tuesday, May 19, 1998

Leaders pitch in at Lord's summit meeting

By Charles Randall

CAPTAINS from around the world assembled for a meeting at Lord's yesterday to share views on the way the game was going - then they split up again, several of them flying back across the world barely 24 hours after arrival, with the International Cricket Council aware of their feelings.

This was Alec Stewart's first international function since his appointment as England's captain and it was the first chance he had had to set eyes on the silver and gold World Cup trophy.

The select group were given a briefing on next year's World Cup in England, though there was a certain poignancy for Stewart and Mark Taylor, because Taylor will not be a member of the Australia side in the tournament and Stewart will not be leading England if the selectors continue with Adam Hollioake in charge for one-day matches.

David Richards, the ICC chief executive, declined to comment on what recommendations would be made to today's decision-making ICC cricket meeting, but he said the gathering had been very useful and that the captains had contributed "very enthusiastically".

The exact agenda of this third captains' meeting was not disclosed, though it was already certain that the standard of pitches and umpires would be discussed, especially in the light of England's abandoned Test in Jamaica and, at the other end of the scale, the over-friendly strip in Colombo, which allowed Sri Lanka to make a world-record score of 952 against India last August.

At last year's meeting, the captains wanted new Test venues carefully vetted by the ICC - this precaution could now be extended to existing grounds - and they agreed, for example, that the two bouncers per over rules was working successfully.

Stephen Fleming, of New Zealand, and Arjuna Ranatunga flew out after the meeting as opposing captains in the forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka. Taylor is due to depart this week, leaving behind Rashid Latif (Pakistan), Alistair Campbell (Zimbabwe), Mohammad Azharuddin (India) and the threesome playing first-class cricket in England - Stewart, Hansie Cronje (South Africa) and Brian Lara (Warwickshire and West Indies).

The ICC's cricket committee can consider enforceable decisions at their meeting at Lord's today safe in the knowledge they have their fingers on the pulse of the game.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)