It seems a taboo subject for many but the Indian Cricket League should by now have been sanctioned as an official event by the sport’s governing body and we could move on from the tedious ongoing debate.

The ICC has, sadly, faltered from the all-powerful body it was briefly during the early reign of recent chief executive Malcolm Speed and become a body more interested in negotiating media and sponsorship deals than securing and safeguarding world cricket in ways other than agreeing healthy financial agreements. I hope the new incumbent Haroon Lorgat will be his own man and not happy to be led. 

India’s rise to ‘real’ power pushed aside any genuine authority the ICC had. And the ICC knows that should it wish to get nasty they would have a mutiny on their hands as it is basically run by committee and India has too many friends to lose a battle at executive board level. This is why the ICC should be run as a ruling body rather than by commitee.

I am in no way criticising the Board of Control for Cricket in India as their innovative and passionate ideas and drive has certainly taken cricket on to a new plateau and we should all applaud them for that. An administrator such as Inderjit Singh Bindra has shown his pedigree at state level and what he has done with the excellent facilities at the Punjab Cricket Association.

However, we have had an ugly spat ongoing between the BCCI’s sanctioned Indian Premier League and the rival Twenty20 event the ICL for some time now and this has spread to other countries like England, New Zealand and others.

How is it doing anyone any good to see New Zealand’s best fast bowler Shane Bond taking wickets at Hampshire instead of helping to make more of a competitive series against England? He was of course banned from internationals by New Zealand Cricket, which was keen to show a united front with the BCCI after Bond signed up with the ICL.

We also have the ridiculous scenario now where tens of ICL players are plying their trade in county cricket – against the best wishes of the English board but are there through legal clout – and are hoping for a place in the Champions League but may be banned from this exciting Twenty20 finale. The counties are still picking them though and believe it is Cricket Australia who are setting the rules not the BCCI. It is all quite ugly, confusing and unnecessary.

Surely it is time to put all this bad blood behind us and move on as one. Is it not the job of the ICC to act for the betterment of world cricket?

Well, let’s just analyse this briefly, the IPL is great and most of the world’s top players have signed up. There is the ICL still though and what bad is being caused by an event providing vital and lucrative wages and experience to players who may not be picked for IPL teams, for umpires who are out of work like Ray Julien, for media people, for agents, for Indian players who have flown below the BCCI radar, for coaches and so on? The ICC should be for any legitimate event that exists to provide careers to so many cricket people. And contrary to what the England board says the ICL have robust anti-corruption and anti-doping policies as well as efforts to help cricket at grass roots level.

From a commercial point of view, looking at it from the BCCI’s angle, there will always be enough money in the kitty for them to sell Tests, ODI’s and the IPL. The Indian market is swimming in money when quality cricket is concerned.

I am still waiting for someone to give me a good enough reason why the ICL should be quashed, aside from the standpoint of selfishness and instead looking at the wellbeing of the world game. I am listening…I hope the ICC is also. instead of passing the buck to the BCCI to handle.

Richard Sydenham is Managing Editor of Bigstarcricket.com

Send in your comments on this column or on any related topic to fans@bigstarcricket.com and see them published

"I'm so glad to have read this as I thought the same for some time, but not many people are coming out and saying so. I have watched the ICL on Zee and it was great entertainment. I also loved the IPL. The more of these kinds of exciting events the better I say so what is all the fuss about. ICC should act like the true leader in the sport and make a ruling and allow ICL (to be official).

Sonia Patel, India