The dispute arising out of ICC’s compensation claim of $23.7 million from BCCI will be referred to the world body’s disputes resolution committee. The claim was made after ICC had to bear the costs that followed the Indian government’s refusal to waive tax on proceeds from the 2016 World T20. The ICC board met via teleconference on Friday, where it was decided to send the matter to its disputes panel. BCCI sees it as a positive, in the first ICC Board meeting attended by president Sourav Ganguly.
The global body had taken a firm stand earlier, attempting to slash BCCI’s annual revenue and recover the amount, after BCCI had failed to get the tax waiver. Recently, the ICC in a letter had threatened to take away staging rights of member boards failing to get tax relief. It was seen as a warning to BCCI, which will stage the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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The impact of Covid-19 pandemic and the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia from October 18 were also discussed. “It was decided to keep an eye on the effect of the pandemic on Australia as the government there has closed its borders for six months,” a board executive said. A review will be made at the Board’s next meeting in May.
“The ICC management will continue our contingency planning around ICC events and will also work with Members to explore all options available to us based on a range of scenarios connected to the pandemic,” ICC CEO Manu Sawhney said. The ICC elections will be held in July. With chairman Shashank Manohar saying he won’t seek re-election, the Big Three—India, Australia and England boards—are expected to influence the polls.
