ICC to pay out World Cup cash

Reports that the International Cricket Council were going to refuse to pay out monies owed to countries in connection with the World Cup proved unfounded as its executive board meeting in Barbados said that funds would conditionally be handed over.

The potentially explosive issue was diffused by some political cunning on the part of Ehsan Mani, president of the ICC. Several countries, spearheaded by India, had been demanding that the ICC hand over payments due from the tournament, but the ICC had been unwilling because of the possibility that it would be sued by the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), its commercial partner in the World Cup, for loss of earnings. The compromise means that the payments will be made, but only if the recipients agree to sign a guarantee that they will return whatever sums are needed by the ICC to settle with the GCC.

The meeting also agreed that there would be 16 countries represented at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, with teams divided into four groups of four with each side playing all its matches on the same island. It is expected that up to ten different countries in all, including the USA, will host games.

Another area of concern, that of cancelled tours, was also high on the agenda, and the meeting announced that from now on an independent panel will have to be consulted before any tour or match is called off because of player safety. Several such incidents, the most recent being South Africa's refusal to play a Test against Pakistan following a bomb blast in Karachi, had forced the subject onto the agenda. The panel, which would be advised by a team of security experts appointed by the ICC, would then file a report and if concerns still existed then a consultation process would be undertaken to try and resolve the situation.

"Introducing this protocol is a sensible step in dealing with this issue," explained Mani. "It provides the opportunity for all the parties involved to get a clear and fact-based assessment of the security issues before a decision is made. It recognises the right of each Board to determine when and where its team plays and allows all parties to have their views considered in the decision making process. The ICC will continue to remain independent of the two parties and act as a mediator or facilitator in this consultation process."

The growing power of players was also acknowledged with the ICC's decision to recognise the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA). From now on FICA will be consulted on various matters including player safety, clothing regulations and the amount of international cricket played. At the moment FICA only covers the interests of players from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.