Gavaskar stands down as ICC chairman
Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday announced he was standing down as
chairman of the ICC Cricket committee.
ICC's acting Chief Executive Officer David Richards said: "We are
indebted to the work Sunil has put into his role as Chairman of the ICC
Cricket Committee.
"He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear, not only
over the eight years of his chairmanship but also the six years prior to
that, when he was a delegate on the same committee.
"Having someone of Sunil's stature involved has to be of benefit to
the game and given the ICC's lengthy relationship with him we hope we
can still utilize his knowledge in some other capacity in the future."
Gavaskar, in an ICC statement, said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed the
eight years I have held the role which is an honorary position, and it
has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game
through that role.
"However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear
that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the
chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and my media commitments.
"As an example of that, I had to leave my professional commitments as
a commentator on the Indian Premier League matches in order to come and
chair this year's meeting in Dubai. "I envisaged the potential for this
sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to
continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be
re-elected. "Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and
therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC Cricket Committee."
The former India captain, the first player in history to top 10,000
Test runs and an ICC Cricket World Cup winner in 1983, arrived at his
decision in the wake of a meeting of the ICC Board in March in Dubai.
At that meeting the Board discussed the potential for a conflict of
interest for a person chairing the ICC Cricket Committee while, at the
same time, working for a media outlet. DUBAI, Thursday, AFP |