The all-important board meeting of the International Cricket Council under the chairmanship David Morgan got underway in Perth Australia yesterday. Items on the agenda included the current situation of Zimbabwe’s cricket, Future Tours Programmes (FTP) in the post-2012 era, the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 and the Indian Cricket League. This is the first of the four meetings that the ICC will conduct under these themes and will conclude today.

The meeting in Perth yesterday was a crucial one for Sri Lanka, too, especially with matters pertaining to the FTP and ICL.

However, the Lankan delegation which finally has made the trip Down Under has raised more than a few eyebrows.

With the SLC Chief Executive officer, Duleep Mendis, handling the day-to-day administration with regard to the current Indian tour of Sri Lanka and is office-bound, the delegation that has made the trip comprised two complete outsiders to cricket and quite alien to the machinations of the ICC.

They are Sports Ministry Secretary S. Liyanagama in his capacity as the Competent Authority of Sri Lanka Cricket and lawyer Navin Marapana in his capacity as an advisor to Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge.

However, cricket insiders also point out that Marapana who is also the lawyer of former SLC boss Thilanga Sumathipala, a close associate of Harish Thawani, CEO of Neo Sports Broadcast, which clinched the TV deal for the current Indian series.

Explaining the move, an SLC insider said, “Liyanagama and Marapana were sent to Perth by the Sports Ministry which has power over the SLC under the Sports Law. We could not send two former cricketers for this meeting because now there is no elected body or an interim committee; no co-opted person can represent a member cricket administration according to the ICC regulations. However, Liyanagama is the present competent authority of SLC.”

The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president of each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Members.

Also present at ICC Board meetings are the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.
The representatives in name and country who attended yesterday’s meeting were: David Morgan, ICC President, Sharad Pawar - ICC Vice-President, Haroon Lorgat - ICC Chief Executive, Jack Clarke - Australia, Mahbubul Anam (alternate for Maj. Gen. Sina Ibn Jamali) - Bangladesh, Giles Clarke - England, Shashank Manohar - India, Alan Isaac - New Zealand, Ijaz Butt - Pakistan, S Liyanagama - Sri Lanka, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka - South Africa, Dr Julian Hunte - West Indies and Wilfred Mukondiwa (alternate for Peter Chingoka) – Zimbabwe. Associate Member Representatives: Neil Speight - Bermuda, Samir Inamdar - Kenya, Imran Khwaja – Singapore were also in attendance

Though Marapana has made the trip to Perth, he was not invited for the meeting proper.

At the same time at the Sri Lankan end some questions are asked about the contribution that these two delegates could make at this forum in Perth, especially with regard to the Future Tours Programme and the Indian Cricket League issue, in view of their lack of knowledge of the intricacies surrounding the two factors.

With lopsided balance in the current FTP where some countries get more than their fair-share of series and the others don’t, cricket insiders say it would have been better if some knowledgeable persons who could argue on finer points attended the meeting.

The other issue is the ICL. The Indian Cricket League which is contemplating arbitration against the ICC on its stance against this Indian Cricket Circus.

On the wake of this, ICC Chairman Morgan had notified all the member boards that the ICL issue would be discussed and debated in detail at ICC’s Executive Board Meeting in Perth which was held yesterday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary who was in Sri Lanka a fortnight ago on a mission to rekindle the BCCI-SLC relations made sure that Sri Lanka would toe the BCCI line on the ICL issue.

Earlier former Sri Lanka cricket captain Marvan Atapattu, along with former national caps -- Russel Arnold, Avishka Gunawardena and Upul Chandana signed up with the ICL and the then administration headed by businessman Jayantha Dharmadasa banned these players from domestic and international cricket in a move that was akin to the stance adopted by the BCCI.

However, the subsequent cricket administration of Arjuna Ranatunga who was on a collision course with the BCCI partially revoked the order and permitted the banned cricketers to get involved in domestic cricket, much to the annoyance of his Indian counterparts.

This difference of opinion culminated with India almost severing ties with the Lankan cricket administration.

When asked what Sri Lanka’s stance would be on the ICL issue, the insider said, “Now that we have arrived at an understanding with the BCCI, our vote goes along with our neighbours like in the past”.