By IANS
Melbourne : The International Cricket Council might have stood by its Future Tours Program (FTP) but it is under constant pressure from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Australian counterpart to reconsider their decision and create a window for the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), according to a media report here Friday.
A faction of cricket figures from the subcontinent, led by members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, will ask the ICC to create an annual window for the Twenty20 tournament, and they will receive support from Cricket Australia. The BCCI also will ask England’s cricket board to rework its county calendar so that its players can play, according to a report in ‘The Age’
The ICC might have to rethink about its decision of not changing its Future Tours Programme (FTP) with world’s two strongest cricket boards — the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) all set to ask the ICC to create an annual window for the Twenty20 event, the report said.
Inderjit Singh Bindra, a founder of the IPL, said the global governing body would have no choice but to comply if most of its members request an annual gap.
“The ICC works for the member countries and if the majority of members are appealing for a gap for the IPL, then the ICC must go by that,” Bindra said.
“We have had approaches from other boards. There is pressure from the players also; they want to play in it. Also, there is a lot of interest in the tournament. It will do the optimum good to have the largest availability of players for the IPL, and it will keep the players and boards happy,” he said.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has also come in support of the BCCI on the issue. Even Australia captain Ricky Ponting also aired the same feeling.
The ICC held a meeting with all member nations earlier this week where they decided not to tamper with the FTP set till 2012.