Cricket: ICC left with few options

John Howard. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The chances remain bleak of finding a suitable New Zealander or Australian with enough political weight to assume the International Cricket Council (ICC) presidency for the two-year term from mid-2012.

It follows Sir John Anderson's decision yesterday to refrain from putting his name forward after the ICC board rejected the initial candidate, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Anderson, a man renowned for his business acumen, is understood to be disappointed by his initial rejection and unwilling to present himself for election again. Since he was overlooked in January, Anderson has taken up some new directorships too, notably at PGG Wrightsons.

It is easy to understand his reluctance. Anderson, with former New Zealand Cricket chief executive Chris Doig in the late 1990s, effectively introduced the Future Tours Programme. The FTP has since been a vital cog to keep cricket's haves and have-nots from drifting further apart.

Doig, who also won't be putting his name forward, told the Herald on Sunday in January: "We were always left scrapping as also-rans trying to get a programme together. We managed to convince the likes of Australia and England that if world cricket was to get stronger and if we were to become credible opponents, you could only do that with an FTP. Their support meant other countries were inclined to follow suit and the likes of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were keen because they stood to benefit in the same way we did."

It still seems staggering that Anderson, a man with such persuasive abilities, would not be snapped up, especially running against Howard.

It is one thing to be a self-confessed cricket tragic, as Howard is, but it is quite another to balance the whims and the stubbornness of the game's powerbrokers using gentle but firm business nous.

New Zealand was keen to push Anderson's name forward initially and it is almost certain the ICC would have accepted it, yet Cricket Australia (CA) could not tolerate the thought of someone else usurping 'their turn'.

Howard was then denied the chance to be president courtesy of an Asian, African and West Indian bloc which left Australia, New Zealand and England as his only supporters.

The main reason for his rejection was thought to be his opposition to Zimbabwe during his time in power - and Zimbabwe is part of the current majority power bloc with Asian nations who also do not regard Howard fondly.

No one else immediately appears as a logical candidate to take charge in either country.

CA chairman Jack Clarke seems reluctant to have a go and it seems too early for former Australian captains such as Allan Border or Mark Taylor to sacrifice lucrative media contracts and other financial bonuses to take up an honorary role.

Taylor is also seen as the heir apparent to the CA chairmanship and is unlikely to take the ICC role out of loyalty to Howard who presented him with the Australian of the Year award in 1999.

New Zealand's Martin Snedden has the Rugby World Cup to run in the meantime. Stephen Fleming who, while young, has overarching respect across the game but would have to give up plenty of income as he goes about setting his family up for life in the afterglow of his international career.

"It suits someone who has given service in the game elsewhere," NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan says. "While all your expenses are met, it doesn't pay the mortgage. It also requires high-level diplomacy skills along with commercial and political smarts."

He says those hoping for some sort of revolutionary to give the ICC a shake-up will be disappointed.

"You need to be a diplomat because you have no voting rights; it is more of an influencing, persuading role."

New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills believes NZC and CA will struggle to find anyone: "I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do it."

Meanwhile, it is understood the biggest mover on the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) list of player contracts could be Scott Styris. Styris was apparently ranked number 23 on the list last year, meaning he would have been earning a retainer of $36,500 or less through Auckland Cricket.

His position has since changed to mid-table bringing him a figure nearer $100,000. That amount is based on the 2009-10 table before the retainers are adjusted under the yet-to-be agreed new contractual agreement between New Zealand Cricket and the Players' Association. The new retainers will be backdated to August 1.

Styris, as a non-test player, provides an interesting snapshot into the weight placed on the game's abbreviated forms heading into a World Cup season. In contrast, as a solely test player, Chris Martin is believed to have dropped into the latter part of the table. That means he will be guaranteed around $72,000, on a par with new recruit Kane Williamson.

Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum are believed to form the top three of the financial order, earning in the realm of $162,000-174,000 under the current structure. Kyle Mills is touted as moving a handful of spots to around four on the list.

That comes as he takes more responsibility in the side as vice-captain to Sri Lanka next month. Mills' position is again signifcant given he is unlikely to play too many tests.

The above exclude extra fees for test matches ($7325), one-day internationals ($3175) and Twenty20s ($2075).