The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to start a thorough investigation into the expenses of the New York leg of the recently concluded T20 World Cup. The decision came after many members raised eyebrows apropos to many things related to the mega event with the New York pitch quality being the top of all. Moreover, some apprehensions about ticketing losses at the venue were also expressed within the board, according to a source.
“The auditing is still on. There are assumptions that ICC may have incurred losses in ticketing as well in the USA leg. The tournament looked mismanaged. The performance of the New York stadium wasn’t up to the mark.” the source said.
It is understood that these issues will be expressed during ICC’s annual meeting in Colombo which is slated to take place from the 19th to 22nd of July. A source from within the board said the organizing committee is likely to have surpassed the allocated budget. Although the losses are not definite as of now as the audit is still ongoing, the overspending could reach millions of dollars.
“The board will discuss how the organizing committee may have overshot the allocated budget. It was always going to be a herculean task to take mainstream cricket to the USA. The ICC team has worked hard to conduct the tournament but expenses need to be checked at the same time.”
It merits mention here that the pitches in New York were lambasted badly during and after the tournament after the surface offered an unpredictable amount of bounce giving an unfair advantage to bowlers over the batters. The pitches were shipped all the way from Adelaide, baked under the Floridian sun, and then dropped in at the pop-up Nassau International Cricket Stadium. To control the damage done, the cricket governing body also tried to make a few remedial changes to the strips during the tournament.
“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
Interestingly, just a day ago, two members of the organizing committee including Head of Events Chris Tetley and General Manager of Marketing & Communication Claire Furlong submitted their resignation, igniting the concerns further. However, it is also being said that both Tetley and Furlong had planned their resignation even before the tournament commenced but delayed it to ensure a smooth running of the mega-event. An ICC source has been quoted to have said,
“Many members aren’t happy with Tetley’s performance. He had tendered his resignation but it can’t be said that the USA leg of the T20 World Cup has got anything to do with it. With at least three ICC global tournaments and all associate nations getting T20I status, management work is relentless. Tetley, it is believed had decided to quit some time back.”
As they say, the truth will out, and with the ICC members scheduled to meet at the annual meeting and Tetley and Furlong expected to join the conference as well, the matter can not be hidden forever. What remains to be seen is how the governing body will attempt to avoid such fiascos from unfolding in the future.
