Gilbert and Sullivan present The Animal Farm

Dramatis Peronae

Animal Farm                                  The ICC

Napoleon                                        N Srinavasan as BCCI personified

Snowball                                         The international cricket

Squealer                                          Alan Isaac

Pigs                                                   The modern day cricket administrators

Farmer Jones                                  The MCC

Old Major                                        A H Kardar

Benjamin                                         The writer of this piece

Boxer                                                The non-elite, journeymen cricketers

Molly                                                 New Zealand Cricket

The Cat                                              Edwards

Moses the Raven                             Clarke

Clover                                                 The glorious cricket watching masses

The Sheep                                          The unquestioning followers

 

The motto/slogan of the sheep a couple of decades ago: More boards good, two vetoes bad.

The Slogan now:  More boards good, big brothers better.

 

How the commandments have changed over time:

“No board shall kill the international cricket.” Became “No board shall kill the international cricket without cause.”

“No board shall monopolize.” Became “No board shall monopolize to excess”

“No board shall get in bed secretly with another.” Became “No board shall get in bed secretly with another without money”

 

Finally all commandments were replaced by one: All boards are equal, but some boards are more equal than others.

 

 “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”.

 Animal Farm

With Thunderous Applause

“So this is how liberty dies … with thunderous applause” –Padme Amidala

If all boards eventually fall in line to the new draft for running the ICC they will have willingly put back, just after a couple of decades,  the yoke it took them a century to take off. Tragically, the process of returning to the good old days is being led by one of those who were at one time in the fold of  the dispossesed with support from the two pillars of the old guard. It seems that in their very nature the English and the Australian cricket authorities never changed, always beleiving they should be treated a cut above the rest. This was the time for these power houses to have stood on the right side of the divide to remedy their past sins. A board even as powerful as the BCCI, even though it  may treaten to do so, cannot reasonably contemplate to abandon the international game. It needs partners in the other strong boards.

This is not only how Liberty dies but also how Cricket dies. This is repeating the past mistakes of the MCC which sacrificed the growth of the game at the international level at the alter of its oracle. Which makes one wonder, where is this reformed society, the supposed upholders of the spirit of the game in denouncing this dictatorship. The MCC has stood on many minor issues which were of no or little import in the name of the spirit of the game. This now is the time for them to stand and be counted to save the soul of the game.

Where do the rest of the boards stand?

Were CSA left out of the loop by BCCI due to their rather strong dislike for Lorgat? Had CSA been offered a share of the pie would they too have accepted the elite power sharing proposal? Will they if it is offered now?

New Zealand cricket authorities have always deffered to those from Australia and England and recently to the will of the BCCI. Their submissiveness in the wake of the Howard nomination when their own candidate was summarily put asunder – even though it was their turn to have a go at the ICC top spot, and their submissiveness to the BCCI in banning Bond when they had allowed him to play for the now defunct ICL are just recent examples. Nothing better can be hoped.

West Indies which is in itself a fractious bunch has a history of kowtowing to the MCC and then the English position (except in the case of supporting appartheid cricket in South Africa) will probably do so again.

Zimbabwe will probably follow the BCCI money.

It would help if the other boards clean up their act and improve their teams. In the test rankings if their were other teams replacing some of India, Australia, and England in the top four it would enhance their position.

On the strenth of it the remaining boards, especially if CSA falls, may not be strong enough. They have the ICC vote and one hopes they use it. They can discard the plan within the ICC. If a division has to happen it must be a clean one. If the boards supporting the draft wish to leave the ICC let them have their cake.