The ICC said that certain comments and actions by some of the West Indies players after clinching the World T20 were “inappropriate, disrespectful and brought the event into disrepute”.
After clinching the World T20 on April 3 following a thrilling last-over win over England in the finals, West Indies skipper Darren Sammy had launched a scathing attack on West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in an emotional speech at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The ICC Board, which held its second meeting this year at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai on Sunday, said: “The Board considered the behavior of some of the West Indies players in the immediate aftermath of the final, and unanimously agreed that certain comments and actions were inappropriate, disrespectful and brought the event into disrepute.
“The Board acknowledged an apology by the WICB but was disappointed to note that such behavior had detracted from the success of what was otherwise a magnificent tournament and final,” it added.
Apart from Sammy, West Indies cricketers Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle were also very critical of the West Indies Cricket Board, against whom they have been involved in a long and bitter pat dispute.
“The Board also noted that very serious consideration had been given to bringing Code of Conduct charges in respect of the behavior of the West Indies players and emphasised that this was not acceptable conduct at ICC Events played out on a world stage in front of millions of people around the globe,” ICC said in a release.
ICC Chairman Mr Shashank Manohar said: “The sport of cricket is proud of its unique spirit and this involves being gracious in victory as well as defeat and respectful at all times to the game, one’s opponents, the sponsors and the fans.”
Among the decisions made and reports received during the meeting, the ICC suspended the Membership of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).
“In light of the ongoing court case involving the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and the Ad hoc Committee established by the Nepalese National Sports Council (NSC), which has led to a vacuum of cricket leadership in Nepal, the Board suspended the Membership of CAN for breach of Article 2.9 of the ICC’s Articles of Association, which prohibits government interference and requires free and fair elections,” the ICC said.
“The suspension means that CAN will not be entitled to receive any ICC funding. However, the Board, in its absolute discretion and considering that the players should not suffer due to this suspension, decided that the Nepal cricket teams would be able to continue to feature in ICC events.”
The ICC said that its management will also now work with the Nepalese cricket community, and other stakeholders, in order to assist with the development of a sustainable governance and administration structure for cricket in Nepal.
Regarding election of ICC Chairman, the Board said it will be held through a secret ballot in late May after all constitutional amendments have been approved by the Full Council in the coming weeks.
“The election process will be overseen by the ICC’s independent Audit Committee Chairman and all present and past ICC directors will be eligible to contest the election.”
Talking about adding context and value to bilateral cricket schedules and structures, the ICC Board said there was a consensus amongst the group that a model which adds greater context to international cricket needed to be created as a matter of priority.
The ICC Board also decided “to approve a short-term ODI fund of USD 500K each for Afghanistan Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland to allow them the opportunity to schedule more bilateral series, which, in turn, will support their bid to improve their team rankings and claims to secure direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.”
About Day/night Tests, ICC said that the “Members confirmed their support for day/night Tests and it was noted that a number of day/night Tests were being considered for the forthcoming year.”
Regarding expansion of cricket, the ICC received an update on cricket in China and also received a report on the development of cricket in the United States of America (USA) and expressed its satisfaction with the progress.