ICC: Major shake-up of structure of Associate membership proposed
A so far unheralded internal body of the International Cricket Council is set to propose the biggest organisational shake-up of non-Test cricket since Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Fiji and the United States were elected as the first Associate members in
02-Sep-2000
A so far unheralded internal body of the International Cricket Council is
set to propose the biggest organisational shake-up of non-Test cricket since
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Fiji and the United States were elected as the first
Associate members in 1965.
The Governance Review Committee, established by the ICC to design a fresh
framework for a world governing body for cricket, is circulating a proposal
amongst its Associate members which would see Associates graded on certain
criteria.
Tangible factors such as club and player numbers, juniors and the record of
the national teams would be used to classify the 26 Associate members of the
ICC into separate divisions.
The divisions or gradings would then be applied to determine the amount of
funding and other benefits each Associate member receives.
"At the moment there is a discrepancy where a country such as Kenya is on
parity in funding terms with other members with only four or five clubs,"
Associates' committee representative, Rene Van Ierschot, said this week.
The proposal will be discussed at ICC committees later this year, including
its Development Committee, before being voted on at the ICC's Annual General
Meeting next June. The ICC is keen to ensure Associate members are given
ample opportunity to study and consider the proposal.
The voluntary self-examination by the ICC is part of an overall review of
its entire structure. It has appointed a sub-committee of officials from
non-Test countries to assess the imnpact of the proposed restructure on its
new frontiers. The integrity of the personnel involved in the non-Test
portion ensures that while there may be keen debate, it will be above
suspicion.
The review itself is a forward-thinking move which I believe deserves
praise. However, in my opinion (for what that's worth), the scope needs to
be widened:
- The present four tiered structure of Full, Associate, Affiliate and de facto New Territory status needs examination
- Countries granted Associate membership status retain it permanently regardless of their comparative standing in non-Test cricket both on and off the field. Some countries arguably more suited to Affiliate status were granted Associate status when Affliate status did not exist. While well intentioned, both the past structure and the current proposal do not allow for a country's membership to be re-examined
- There is no overhaul of the membership application process which needs to be more proactive. Countries with healthy leagues such as Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen remain outside the fold
- The review does not extend to the Affiliate level
However, these are minor commentaries on a process that is generally
positive.