ICC chief blames India, England for obstructing Test championship
London:International Cricket Council CEO Haroon Lorgat has said that India and England are obstructing the way of a proposed world Test championship. Lorgat
added that most cricket playing nations but the two countries agreed with the
idea that the survival of Test cricket will be best ensured by a world championship.
"The only two countries who do not see the argument are India and England, but
debate is growing all the time. The MCC seem to have come out in favour but when
I met the ECB recently it was the wrong time to tackle them in detail. They were
too high on the Ashes," The Guardian quoted him, as saying. Throwing light on
the proposals, Lorgat said: "The original plan was to have a four-year cycle for
the championship, which protects icon series like the Ashes. It was very doable.
Our Future Tours Programme will meet soon as the current schedule runs to May
2012. "I would really like to see the Test championship included from there on.
There's no doubt a Test championship would be of great benefit. Let's say you
and your mate are South African and Australian - and India are about to play Sri
Lanka. If the result impacts on your team's championship standing you are bound
to be more interested," he added. According to sources, ECB officials were put
off by the initial plan to spread the world championship over a four-year period,
when the strength of the competing teams would vary enormously. And ECB is also
worried about plans to start the championship in 2012 because it would coincide
with the London Olympics. "The ECB will continue to look at all the proposals
put forward by the ICC and continue to play a full part in discussions about the
development of their global events," an ECB spokesperson said.
