FLIMFLAM by 2 Associates????

Reason has given rise for the need to acknowledge the virtue of Cricket in it's true sense and to appreciate the embryonic growth of Associate Member cricket globally. The recent past has witnessed quite a few stunning performances on the field of play, where the likes of Afghanistan, Ireland and others have proven the volcanic capabilities that lie within. It further led to the movement of Afghanistan and Ireland from Associate Members (AMs) to Full Members in June 2017 and creating a new foundation for others to follow suit as and when their performances all round can be justified. The AMs have also made progress off the field with the appointment of Mr Imran Khwaja, as the ICC  Deputy Chairman, considered by many being the main architect who formulated and guided the Associate members for their rightful place in International Cricket Council. 

The representation of Associate Members at policy and decision-making levels are extended to the ICC Board, ICC Chief Executive's Committee (CEC) and ICC Development Committee (DevCom). Needless to say that those elected to represent the Associate Members (AMs) at the different groups are expected to do so without any let or hindrance to the AMs as a whole; meaning that once elected the Representatives should be devoid of any personal bias towards one's member country or selective groups to spearhead any agendas. Whilst a seat at the Board or CEC does warrant some merit, it is the DevCom that truly holds substance for the AMs, since all matters governing the development of cricket among the AMs originate and take shape at DevCom, which works closely with the Global Development Department of the ICC.

It is therefore very irksome to unearth some findings about the nature of some, who abuse their "pass", into these important groups for their conniving interests. It has come to the fore through some reliable sources, that despite having been mandated to further the unanimous cause of the AMs, certain individuals chose to further their individual and collective causes.

Financial matters are always a sore point for every Member as no amount of money will ever satisfy any programme, activity or event and so the 2018 Dublin Annual Conference was a godsend for the AMs. It was relayed to the new group of AMs that there were "surplus" funds available for use, which had accrued from previous cycles and had been endorsed by the ICC Board to be for the exclusive use of the AMs. The "unanimous" Resolution that followed from the discussions,categorically agreed to seek unconditional approval from the Board to use 35% of the principal "surplus" amount for distribution among the AMs who were eligible members during the time the "surplus" was accrued.......the important point being that it was unanimous!

In accordance to calculation based on unanimous resolution, 83 Countries  to be funded directly in proportion they received in last cycle, 10 countries on standby status due to ICC Notice / Suspension. The Associate member country entitled to get the highest amount is Scotland with $759,300.00 USD and lowest is Romania with $3,985.00 USD, from the interim payment of 35% of carryover sum of $42million USD.

History has embedded the unfortunate reality that when one is at the top, it seemingly becomes unacceptable to look below, even though, that is where one originated from previously. Therefore this is no exception when it comes to the cricket hierarchy from the FMs down; sadly though, the higher placed AMs have adopted this attitude due to their elite "High Performance" club. The "clique" of the Scotland(s), Netherlands, Hong Kong(s) and now the UAE(s), Oman(s) as replacements for Ireland and Afghanistan are evident. Apparently even during the consensus formation for the Resolution in Dublin, the proposals put forward from the "clique" corner was contra to what would benefit the greater majority, clearly only promulgating their own interests.

Curiously, it is to be noted that Scotland and The Netherland are already projected to receive $759,300.00 USD and $ 707,859.00 USD respectively from proportionate payment calculation which are around 18,900% and 17,600% more than lowest Associate member entitlement calculation, and based on proportion they received in last funding cycle. But it is evident that for the little group no amount of money will ever satisfy them........

The greed and selfishness has to be broken down and along with that so too the multiple groups of favour who clambour narrow-mindedly for vested interests, to the total detriment of the Associate world.

Hope our European friends from Scotland and The Netherland learn from a famous European proverb that "Big Mouthfuls Often Chokes" and though the process is delayed due to unprecedented situation but as the good sense prevailed among majority of Development Committee members, ICC Associates are in good hands.