Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) deferred a decision on the T20 World Cup in Australia, alongwith few other key items on their agenda, till their next meeting on June 10.
The meeting via teleconference assumed a great deal of significance as the possibility of a postponement of the T20 showpiece was very much on the cards, alongwith deciding on the modalities for election of the successor to Shashank Manohar as chairman. Manohar has expressed his unwillingness to continue after having served two terms.
However, it is learnt that a number of Board members had taken exception to recent media leaks on a number of sensitive subjects like the ICC Ethics Officer’s observation about a financial loan between two of the member boards, alongwith reports of the possibility of postponement of the World T20, scheduled in October-November this year.
‘‘A number of Board members had raised their concerns over this issue (of confidentiality) recently and felt it required immediate attention to ensure the sanctity and confidentiality of Board matters in line with the highest standards of governance,’’ a ICC statement said.
‘‘There was unanimous agreement to immediately initiate an independent investigation, led by the ICC’s Ethics Officer and supported by global experts. The Board will be updated on this by the ICC CEO at its next meeting on June 10.
‘‘The Board also requested the ICC management continue with their discussions with stakeholders in exploring various contingency options (regarding World T20) in light of the rapidly changing public health situation caused by the COVID 19 virus,’’ the statement added.
