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"ICC has a problem" England and Wales Cricket board |
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May 10, 2000
London, May 9: Lord MacLaurin, Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said on Sunday that the International Cricket Council "has a problem" if documents alleging that David Richards, the Chief Executive Officer, and Jagmohan Dalmiya, the President, were involved in negotiating TV rights for a one-day tournament prove to be irrefutable. Writing in The Guardian on Monday, former England Test cricketer Mike Selvey said some documents from Doordarshan contradict Richards' statement last week denying categorically that Dalmiya had been involved in negotiations over the rights to televise the ICC knockout tournament held in Bangladesh in October 1998. The ICC President has denied any wrongdoing and has instigated legal proceedings against a Doordarshan consultant who had been called in to investigate what the company suspected were irregularities in the negotiations. Selvey wrote that the authenticity of the documents had been vouched by Doordarshan's Deputy Director-General (Finance) PK Seth and the then Chief Executive Officer, SS Gill, both of whom countersigned the 27-page document, and by Gill's successor as CEO, Dr OP Kejriwal, who confirmed as much from New Delhi on Sunday. MacLaurin was quoted by Selvey as saying that the report would be circulated to the members of the ICC for discussion. "It's clear we have a problem now," the ECB Chairman said. "We had no idea about this when Mr Richards put out the statement on behalf of Mr Dalmiya, or indeed until after the meeting had finished. "I have to look at the information available and share that with my colleagues on the board and then see where we go from there. "We need to see the report and I understand it is on its way. It will be circularised to board members and then under Malcolm Gray, because he is the deputy president, the board can take any decision that it sees fit. "I
think it is fair to say though that if the subsequent evidence comes out
and it is irrefutable evidence that the press and public have been
misinformed, then we have a problem." Dalmiya, along with all the other delegates at last week's emergency meeting of the ICC, signed a declaration of integrity.
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