​The International Cricket Council is formulating plans to address what it has labeled significant corruption concerns surrounding franchise tournaments across the world. In documents reviewed by BBC Sport, the ICC’s integrity unit reports growing evidence that corrupters are infiltrating leagues and players across several member territories. The organization is now proposing the formation of a working party tasked with harmonising franchise cricket within the international calendar and assessing how corruption could be tackled more effectively.
As part of measures to mitigate these concerns, the ICC’s executive committee will discuss a range of broader strategies at their ongoing annual general meeting in Edinburgh. Among these is the expansion of the ICC’s reach to sanction a domestic league, meaning more tournaments would require its approval. Under current rules, a domestic league in a non-full member country only needs ICC approval if it features more than four players who have represented a full member national team within the preceding 24 months.
The ICC is also considering strengthening its powers to intervene in leagues where integrity concerns exist but are not being addressed. There are also worries about the growing threat from illegal betting, particularly through the sponsorship of franchise leagues. The ICC notes that such betting exposure “exposes host members to the risk of facilitating” illegal wagering, which carries a potential for increased corruption.
In other business, the ICC will formally ratify one new member at its AGM on Saturday, with the island nation of Mauritius being elected. Applications were received from Colombia, Poland, Latvia, Burundi, and Burkina Faso, but none met all of the ICC’s membership criteria. USA Cricket and Cricket Canada remain suspended by the ICC due to ongoing governance issues. France’s cricket board is at risk of being placed “on notice” by the global governing body over whether its governance framework and executive structure are fit for purpose. France had to compete as “France XI” in a recent Twenty20 international series against Portugal because it has not held official status with the French sports ministry since the start of the year.
The ICC is also monitoring developments within the Italian Cricket Federation, which faced a crisis soon after its debut appearance at the Twenty20 World Cup, following multiple board resignations. Readers can receive cricket news straight to their phones as part of efforts to optimize search engine visibility.