He emphasised that he had a good working relationship with ICC’s chief officers but he is frustrated by the refusal of
Posted in General on 18. Oct, 2010
He emphasised that he had a good working relationship with ICC’s chief officers but he is frustrated by the refusal of some countries to budge They see player power where they still want hired hands. “We don’t want to tell the ICC how they should run the game,” said Graveney. “But the players have every right to be consulted on the protection of players, which is paramount. Then there is the amount of cricket being played and player burn-out as well as player participation in off the field activities in next year’s World Cup.”Gray, who has 15 months of his tenure to run, was as upbeat as a self-confessed pessimist could be. Like most others in the organisation he is relieved that match-riging provoked by illegal bookies on the sub-continent appears to have stopped. But Condon conceded somewhat controversially last week that there are handful of cricketers still playing who were involved in match-fixing.
Maybe his statement went against the rules of natural justice but most of the men have been mentioned in previous reports and Condon’s words at least reinforced the need for constant vigilance. The new rolling one-day championship in which every game will count should also persuade players not to take the bookies’ shilling. Suggestions in some quarters that recent matches have been fixed lack both evidence and grounds of any kind and also tend to deflect attention from the game’s myriad other problems.The division between rich and poor might be the greatest of those Pakistan have lost perhaps $20m because of cancelled tours. West Indies are also in trouble, largely because of falling interest, and their series against New Zealand failed to attract any TV bids.But pleas for ICC cash were rejected “There’s a great deal of sympathy,” said Gray.
“We have been working on the possibility of a compensation fund, only the possibility, but the board have rejected that. In a two-horse race I suppose you always back self-interest, but not without a very good hearing.”Gray said television money had changed everything. In the old days the only income was from ticket sales and bilateral agreements “If you come to me I keep all the money and vice versa. Now there are home TV rights and secondary overseas rights and if you come to me I still keep all the money. Is that necessarily fair?” So far, the ICC members have said that it is indeed fair and proper.
Given the chance to express it the players might have a view on that as well.. All three counties occupying the relegations places in Div-ision One going into this round of County Champion-ship matches had a chance to record valuable victories yesterday while the top three sides took a break. The champions, Yorkshire, could not drag themselves off the bottom but Kent and Warwickshire both enhanced their hopes of surviving the drop. He was supported by his captain David Fulton, who also made 116 off 276 balls with 20 boundaries.Somerset resumed at Edgbaston on 248 for 6, requiring a further 198 runs to beat Warwickshire. The wicketkeeper Rob Turner remained defiant on 83 not out but ran out of partners as the innings subsided to 357 all out and the visitors lost by 88 runs, the South African pace bowler Shaun Pollock picking up 3 for 97.Essex took advantage of Derbyshire’s inactivity by moving to the top of Division Two. They were set a stiff target of 381 by Gloucestershire at Gloucester after Jack Russell made 107, off 176 balls with 17 fours, and Ian Fisher hit 103 not out, off 184 balls with 18 fours and a six, to set up the declaration at 322 for 7.