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‘ICC’s image not good’

London: ICC President-elect, David Morgan, has admitted that cricket’s World governing body does not have a good image and needs to address the problem at the earliest.

Morgan, who will take over from incumbent Ray Mali next month, said the issue is “something we need to address.”

“I do not believe at all times we govern in the optimum way, but govern we certainly do,” he said in a press conference here.

The ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed’s, premature step-down to protest the ICC’s refusal to make the alleged financial irregularities in Zimbabwe Cricket public, has not done the image any good either.

Speed was sent on a paid holiday last week and the ICC General Manager, Dave Richardson, was given temporary charge of his job before the CEO-elect Haroon Lorgat takes over in July.

Morgan insisted that Speed was never asked to vacate his post, instead the Australian himself decided to leave as he was “uncomfortable” with the ICC’s handling of Zimbabwe.

“That has not been imposed on him (Speed).

“Zimbabwe is an issue where the president and the chief executive have disagreed, there is no doubt about that,” said Morgan.

“You know what the board decision was in relation to the KPMG report, Speed was clearly uncomfortable with that,” he added.

Morgan said the relations between Speed and Mali broke down last year after an Executive Meeting which decided against taking any action on the audit report.

Speed had refused to address a press briefing after the meeting to protest the decision.

The president-elect also revealed that the ICC’s annual conference was moved from Lord’s to Dubai because the British Government had still not decided on whether to give a visa to Zimbabwe Cricket’s representative.

“That visa has neither been granted or refused,” he revealed. — PTI

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