The ICC has come under fire from former England cricketer Chris Broad, who was a member of the International Cricket Council Elite Panel of Match Referees, for favoring the Indian team or the BCCI solely for financial gain. He claims that the ICC operations are now under the authority of the BCCI and its friends, and that their presence has resulted in a great deal of political involvement.
When he was the match referee, he also revealed an instance in which he was urged not to charge the Indian team a slow over-rate since they had paid the ICC a lot of money. Broad also revealed that the then-ICC chairman, Sourav Ganguly, had influenced choices that were meant to be made exclusively by him.
“When Vince van der Bijl (ICC umpires manager) was in charge, he helped us [match referees] since he had experience in cricket. However, once he went, the management got much worse. India received all of the funds and has since largely assumed control of the ICC.
It’s a much more political post now than it has ever been, so I’m glad I’m not around,” Chris Broad told The Telegraph.
At the end of a game, India was down three or four overs, therefore it was a fine. I received a call that said, “Be understanding, find some time, as it’s India.” And it’s like, “Oh, I see.” Therefore, we needed to find some time to bring it below the barrier. It happened exactly the same way in the very following game. Sourav Ganguly, the then-ICC chairman, ignored all of the hurried conversations, so I called him and asked, “What do you want me to do now?” I was told to “just do him.” Politics was therefore involved from the beginning.
Many of the men are either keeping their heads down or are more politically astute these days. “I’m not sure,” Chris Broad stated during the interview.
Since his last appearance in 2024, during a Twenty20 International match between England and Pakistan at The Oval in London, Broad has not been a member of the panel of match referees. Chris Broad, the father of experienced bowler Stuart Broad of England, had amassed over 3000 runs at an average of over 40 in 59 international games for the English team.
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