Speech given by ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed

Ladies and gentlemen

I am extremely pleased to once again have the opportunity to talk to you about international cricket and the role that the ICC is playing in leading the game.

When I commenced at the ICC three years ago, one of the many criticisms of the ICC was that it was invisible - it was anonymous - it was unknown - my wife complained often that when she said I worked for the ICC, the usual response was is that something to do with Lord McLaurin or is that part of the ECB?

The ICC is no longer invisible or anonymous.

Perhaps one of the best measurers of this is that in May this year, the ICC featured on the radar of at least six Prime Ministers of cricket-playing countries. First, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister announced that he would sue the ICC - he later withdrew that threat and announced that he had contacted his Prime Ministerial counterparts in three other Asian countries and urged them to support Sri Lanka in seeking to have the ICC change its stance on the issue of illegal deliveries. Next, the British Prime Minister criticised the ICC for being exceedingly mean to the ECB. Then the Australian Prime Minister, in an unguarded moment that he probably regrets, referred to ICC levels of tolerance for illegal deliveries.

Next week we will have the undivided attention of 10 Prime Ministers of Caribbean countries when we announce the host venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

We do not go out of our way to seek the interest, or for that matter the interference, of Prime Ministers but it is a very good indicator of the level of recognition of the ICC.

We no longer hear that the ICC is invisible or unknown.

The President has already worked his way through the way in which the ICC is addressing several of the issues that are around the game but I would like to take a bit more time to look at some of the other challenges that the ICC is tackling.

Today's Forum gives us all the chance to look back at what has been achieved and to put the challenges that we face into their proper context.

I am now in my eighth year as a senior cricket administrator. My time in the sport has taught me that to the list of death and taxes as the certainties in life, you can add the fact that cricket will always, always have controversy attached to it.

No sooner has one issue been addressed than another will emerge to take its place.

It is one of the realities of operating an international sports business with a global profile.

One of cricket's greatest strengths is that it is valued by many millions of people around the world and they often respond to contentious issues with passion that reflects the value that they place on the great game.

The level of interest in the game means that even the most routine aspect of the sport is capable of polarising opinions.

This past year has seen this reality borne out.

We have heard forceful and aggressive opinions expressed by all manner of people within and outside the game on matters ranging from the morality of playing against Zimbabwe, the volume of cricket, the legality of the action of the game's greatest wicket taker, Muttiah Muralitharan and many other issues.

Part of my message today is that all of us should look beyond the issues that inevitably flare within the game to take a deeper, more-balanced view of what is occurring.

To do so, we must be prepared to look beyond the headlines and to reach a more rounded view of what has taken place within the game over the past 12 months.

As the President has already highlighted, if we take this more considered view the assessment must be that cricket has enjoyed a wonderful year.

Yes, Zimbabwe has tested us and will continue to do so. I sometimes say to our staff, that a particular issue with which we have dealt, would make a great exam question in a sports management course. The issues that have emerged in Zimbabwe this year - morality, alleged government interference, contractual issues, dispute resolution, allegations of racism, player/board relations - and many others, could constitute the curriculum for such a course rather than just an exam question.

I urge you to look beyond Zimbabwe - the President has outlined the Board's response to that issue - and focus on other aspects of the year in cricket.

I invite you to look back over the last year. There were many positives, both on and off the field.

This is a wonderful period for the game and we should all recognise that what we are witnessing is a terrific time for cricket rather than pining for a long lost `golden age'.

Nevertheless the reality is that for many it is difficult to raise their sights from the inevitable controversy in the sport and take in the full glorious view of where the game is today.

Rather than traverse the ground covered by the President, I propose to deal with four important operational issues -

From an ICC perspective we see each of these issues as huge opportunities for the ICC to move forward and to achieve its mission statement.

I would now like to take a few minutes to talk about how the ICC is dealing with the issues of illegal deliveries.

The ICC's General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson will speak in greater detail on the specifics of the ICC's approach in dealing with illegal deliveries and I do not want to steal his thunder but I do not want to let this opportunity pass with out setting out our wider philosophy on this issue.

First I would like to remind you of the proper historical context of illegal deliveries in cricket.

It is not a new issue.

It has always caused great distress and heated debate within cricket.

It is a brutal reality for a game that has never been able to address this issue effectively.

In a letter to "Sporting Life" in 1897, the Australian fast bowler, Fred Spoforth offered the following comment about the English game:

"There is scarcely a first-class county that does not include a `thrower' amongst its cricketers."

More than forty years ago Geoff Griffin from South Africa was called 11 times in a Test here at Lord's.

Between 1960 and 1964 sixteen bowlers were `called' in Austrlaia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies in international cricket.

Time and time again the game has sought to grapple with this issue and it has never found a real solution that has stood the test of time.

Today, if anything, it is more complicated than it ever has been.

The level of analysis and examination of players has created problems but it has also presented opportunities for cricket to take a more scientific approach.

The amount of scrutiny and pressure on referees and umpires has never been greater.

And the importance of the ICC leading the way in addressing this issue has never been greater.

It is a challenge that we are enjoying and it is an opportunity that we want to take.

There has been a huge amount of media attention given to the reporting of Muttiah Muralitharan, the world's leading wicket-taker. This has caused vigorous polarisation of opinion a result of the examination of his `doosra'.

The reality is that there has been excellent progress in tackling this issue over the past 12 - 15 months.

There are new processes in place to deal with bowlers with illegal actions.

The processes seek to take advantage of the science that has emerged in relation to illegal deliveries.

In the past 15 months - is that right we have seen 11 international players identified with actions that required attention through the mechanisms put in place by the ICC - five at the full international level and six at the U/19 level.

Pleasingly, for the players at the full international level, we are seeing that it is clearly possible for remedial work to provide a path back into the international game.

As custodians of the game, our objective should be to find ways for players to continue to play the game rather than to hound them out of it as has happened in the past.

In the past 12 months, players such as the West Indies' Jermaine Lawson and Pakistan's Shabbir Ahmed, and, a little earlier, James Kirtley, have been able to save their international careers through the processes now in place to deal with this issue.

In previous eras it may have been that these players were lost to the game for ever.

This is not to say that where we are today is the ultimate solution.

It has already been flagged that additional research into spin bowlers is needed to provide additional insights into the actions of these bowlers but this is well under control and will take place later this year during the ICC Champions Trophy here in England.

We will continue to see opinions and arguments from various people, be they bio-mechanists, former players or members of the media arguing for a particular technical point or a return to a simplistic system.

Through it all, the ICC will take account of and respect these opinions but will chart its own path, based on facts, considerate of the realities of today's sporting environment and conscious of the responsibility that goes along with leading the sport.

For people with a particular interest in this topic I would encourage you to get a good seat for David Richardson's presentation later in the Forum as it provides an excellent insight into the realities that surround this topic and the way we are responding to them.

At this Forum last year I discussed the concerns being expressed by many of the game's stakeholders about the volume of cricket being played in the international game.

In particular the concerns over its impact on the exposure for the sport, the impact on the players and the ability of the game to cater for the playing aspirations of countries currently outside the ICC Full Members.

I took the opportunity to announce that the ICC was to conduct a review into the structure of cricket.

I would like to dwell for a moment and analyse the project that we have undertaken.

Please focus on the name of the project:

A review of the structure of cricket.

We are not writing a strategic plan or a marketing plan or a white paper on the future of the game. It is not a think-tank to try to find ways of making more money or attracting more people to the game.

It is much more fundamental, specific and hard-nosed than all of those activities.

We are reviewing the structure of the game.

The structure of cricket has emerged over the last 100 years or so in which we have seen a small number of countries playing against each other on the international scene - in 1909 there were three founding members of the Imperial Cricket Conference - these countries played against each other from time to time.

As new countries have been added to the list, travel became easier and cheaper, and interest in the game has grown, the structure of the way these teams play each other has evolved.

For example, in this country, if invited solely at the discretion of the MCC, teams travelled here by ship and stayed for months playing many matches against counties and several Test matches. Now they fly in, play some limited overs matches, usually involving a third country as well, play a small number of Tests and move on quickly to another destination.

There is a simple financial model - the home team pays the expenses and keeps the revenue.

At the top level, it is limited to a small number of countries.

Test and ODI cricket generally follow the same formula although there are now ICC events that provide wider competition in ODI cricket.

We approach this task in an environment in which we see that there are frequent suggestions that there is too much cricket.

For countries below the elite level, where we now have another 82 countries seeking to play international cricket - there are several tournaments - some regional, some global.

This structure of the playing system has evolved over 95 years.

A lot of wise men have contributed to this evolution.

It is this structure that we are reviewing.

It is a clear, tight program driven by specific terms of reference and led by the ICC working with expert consultants.

It is an important and exciting project - clearly the most important piece of work currently being undertaken by ICC.

It is a project that has been very rarely undertaken by other sports.

I indicated last year that it would take many months to complete and this has proven to be the case.

A particularly challenging aspect has been obtaining a good understanding of the financial arrangements that underpin world cricket.

It has taken longer than anticipated for the ICC and its Full Members to assess the complex financial information and to build an accurate financial picture of world cricket, but this major milestone has been achieved.

This week has seen a period of intense activity in relation to this project as more than 40 of the game's stakeholders from the Presidents and Chief Executives of the Full Members to representatives of our Associate and Affiliate countries and player representatives have been providing their views and insights into the structure of the game.

Over the coming months, these views along with the other information gathered through the review, will be distilled into a small number of options for the board to consider that will provide alternatives to the current 10 year Future Tours Program.

It is important to recognise that the ICC is tackling this review with no preconceived view on what the `right' answer should be.

Currently, there is an agreement between all countries to follow the 10 year program.

This program offers several benefits for our members and was developed at the initiative of New Zealand Cricket which was seeking to obtain consistent access to matches against all other countries.

Certainty of tours over the coming years for all Full Members, including the smaller countries being guaranteed matches against the bigger teams, and the ability to plan and deliver commercial agreements as a result of the certainty of this programming, are two of the key benefits that it delivers.

But there are clearly concerns that also arise from this arrangement.

Concerns over the volume of cricket - the flexibility to accommodate emerging nations' aspirations and the workload it places on the players are some of the issues that need to be addressed

It is important to recognise that as far as the ICC is concerned there are no sacred cows in this review.

If in the opinion of our stakeholders the Future Tours Program no longer provides the best model for the structure of cricket, so be it - we will seek to implement a better model.

Every option should be, and will be, examined and if there is a potentially better way than the current system, this will be identified, analysed and presented to the Executive Board for its consideration.

After a slow start we are now moving rapidly.

Given the progress that has been made with this review over the past three months I expect that the ICC will be in a position to put some initial options in front of the Executive Board at its October meeting.

This year has also seen good progress in building a stronger relationship with the players.

The decision by the Board to create a formal consultation process between the ICC and many player associations and to reform the ICC's Cricket Committee to allow directly elected representatives of the players onto this body is bearing fruit.

These regular discussions are seeing a more effective relationship built between the ICC and the players and this is coming out in a number of ways.

We are seeing it in the quality of the decisions that are being made which I believe now take better account of the issues of concern to players.

And we are seeing it in the creation of new events such as the ICC Awards for all players in the game that were announced on Tuesday.

The ICC Awards in particular will be a milestone event for the game with the outstanding players in the game recognised globally for their performances for the first time.

I would expect that within a short period of time winning the International Player of the Year award or being selected in the One-Day International or Test team of the Year will become the amongst the highest honours in the sport.

In sport these days, it does not take very long to build traditions - look at the Allan Border medal - this commenced in 2000 - it is now a traditional part of Australian cricket.

I am very pleased that these awards will be part of a three-way partnership for the ICC. First, we join with FICA - the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations to present the awards. Our second partner was announced yesterday in India where it was received with some enthusiasm that Hyundia will be the sponsor of the ICC Awards. I extend a very warm welcome to Hyundai in its first venture as a cricket sponsor.

In the last couple of days, some media outlets have called these awards cricket's `Oscars' - hopefully we can come up with a better and cricket-specific name for the awards but I expect that we will generate a significant amount of enthusiasm and recognition for these awards.

The initial awards in London in September with the players from 12 teams attending will provide a great launch for this new concept.

Part of our better relationship with players is also reflected in increased standards of player behaviour.

It is no secret that the ICC has been seeking to improve player behaviour across the whole of the game. The new ICC Code of Conduct and the new panels of umpires and referees have been well documented.

In the past 12 months the players have supported the Code of Conduct and we have seen many instances of improved player behaviour and attempts to promote the spirit of the game. We have seen far fewer charges laid in the last two years than in the previous two years.

The umpires have a better understanding of what is acceptable behaviour within the ICC Code and we are working with the umpires and referees to ensure consistency of application.

Part of this is to ensure that umpiring standards continue to improve. We are working hard with the umpires to achieve this and have taken an aggressive stance to ensure that we have the best available umpires on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.

Over the next year we will continue to strive for better umpiring and improved player behaviour that respects and reflects the spirit of the game.

Before I finish I want to take a couple more minutes to reflect on the terrific position that cricket finds itself in today.

My view is that those of us that can take our eyes off the rear view mirror and stop looking back into history will see a wonderful future for the sport.

This year has witnessed incredible achievement on the cricket field.

Brian Lara's 400.

The resumption of cricketing ties between two of the great cricketing powers in India and Pakistan.

The incredible vein of form that Jaques Kallis struck against the West Indies.

The impact of Steve Harmison on the England team.

The emergence of an exciting new crop of players who will be the game's next superstars.

Muttiah Muralitharan's record haul of wickets.

The success of the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh.

These are all signs of the health of the game and the success of our sport.

For the ICC, we are nearing the end of our first Strategic Plan adopted in 2001 to chart the path for the organisation.

It has been a fascinating period for the sport and the organisation.

The ICC has changed beyond recognition from the under-resourced, powerless body it was just four years ago.

At times it has felt too much like a work in progress but as this first period draws to a close, the ICC is emerging as a more effective and more efficient leader of the sport than at any stage in its history.

As to the next phase of the ICC's growth, one of the challenges is to provide a clear road map for the sport and to seek a mandate from our members to continue the role of leading the sport.

This is a challenge that I and the management team look forward to meeting and I hope to be standing here in 12 months time speaking to you on the how the ICC will be taking the game forward in the next stage of the sport's development.

Thank you.