By IANS,
Mumbai : Despite no particular guidelines, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has made it clear to former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar that he has to choose between the high-profile post of its cricket committee chairman and the job of a TV commentator-cum-media columnist.
ICC CEO Malcolm Speed said Wednesday here that he had already explained to the cricket legend that unlike in the past it had become an issue now and he has accepted it.
“He was appointed last year for a three-year term as chairman of the cricket committee. The ICC Board is concerned about his role as a commentator and journalist and the Board has decided the chairman should be a non-practising journalist,” Speed said.
“I’ve explained that carefully to Sunny who accepts that after the cricket committee meeting (he) will choose to continue as chairman or as a journalist,” he added.
“There are no guidelines at the moment but he has been chairman for a long time. It hasn’t been an issue up until now, but it’s become an issue and the decision has been made. It’s sensible that chairman of the committee is not a journalist and not commenting on issues that involve other employees or consultants of ICC,” the ICC official said.
Gavaskar had criticised Mike Procter, the ICC match referee during India’s Test series in Australia, for going by the words of the Australian cricketers and not Sachin Tendulkar that Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had racially abused the hosts’ all rounder Andrew Symonds during the Jan 2-6 Sydney Test.