Readers’ Forum

ICC needs reform first

Bangladesh’s World Twenty20 campaign suffered a blow on Saturday when the ICC banned pace bowler Taskin Ahmed and the left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect because of illegal bowling actions.
Both the bowlers were temporarily suspended after their side’s opening match in the World Twenty20 against the Netherlands in Dharamsala last week.
Off-spinner Sunny bowled two overs and the fast bowler Ahmed bowled four overs in their match against the European side in Dharamsala, India, with neither taking a wicket though Bangladesh won the game by eight runs.
But our point is why did the ICC take such action after Bangladesh cruised into the Super-10 of the 6th T20 World Cup Cricket? Should we consider the action as an attempt to keep the trophy within the ICC’s favourites?
 From the day, cricket has become source of revenue, the cricket’s world governing body-the ICC-has changed its strategy, narrowing the field instead of expanding, and giving advantage to the sides fetching revenue. In that case, teams like Bangladesh will never get justice. It is now not unclear that ICC plays in the hand of big players to protect their financial interest first. Cricket has unfortunately become a different ball-game, it is no more a gentlemen’s game. More sadly, ICC is no more an independent neutral body to oversee cricket.  
May we ask the ICC to reform itself first?

 Rozario
Pabna