ICC Executive Board Meeting outcomes

The Executive Board of the International Cricket Council met in Johannesburg today. Major issues discussed and resolved included:

The Board agreed to adopt a detailed and structured strategic program to assist the Kenya Cricket Association (KCA) develop and substantiate its application for Full Member status. ICC Management's proposal for a three-year program was amended to two years by the Board.

This will involve providing assistance to the KCA in key areas such as high performance, development, finance, governance and administration. The initiative guarantees additional funding of $500,000 per annum from the ICC to the KCA, for the duration of the program. There is no automatic guarantee of Full Member status on completion of the program, and Kenya's application will be considered at the ICC's meeting of June 2005.

With the likelihood of compensation claims being made on IDI (the commercial arm of the ICC) by the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), the Board approved the withholding of some World Cup distributions.

India's full share of World Cup revenue of between US $8 and $9 million has been withheld, confirming the decision reached by the Board prior to the start of the tournament. US $3.5 million has been withheld from England for its decision not to play in Zimbabwe, US $2.5 million from New Zealand for not playing its game in Kenya, and US $500,000 from Sri Lanka for failing to meet the deadline for completion of its Player Contracts.

The amounts retained reflect the ICC's initial calculations of the potential liability attached to the disputes involving these countries.

The Board reviewed a number of reports from the Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, Michael Beloff QC. These were:

The Elliott Mottley Enquiry into allegations against Brian Lara
The United Arab Emirates Cricket Board Enquiry
The Anti Corruption Unit Report on Asif Iqbal

After detailed discussion and consideration, the Board accepted the recommendations of Michael Beloff that each of these matters now be considered closed.

A new format has been agreed for the ICC Test Championship, which recognises and rewards the result of each Test match played. The new system will be introduced from the beginning of June and further details will be announced prior to this official launch date.