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Former Test great Martin Crowe has added his voice to the critics of the ICC.
Speaking to the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, Crowe said he is adamant that only a complete overhaul of the International Cricket Council can save the sport from disintegrating beyond this week's controversy.
The record-holding batsman and former Black Caps skipper insisted the constant squabbling was symptomatic of a "powerless" ICC.
"Same sh*t, different day," Crowe lamented when asked about the Indian tour drama.
"These are things that will keep rearing their ugly head, time and time again. We'll have the same stuff next year", he told the paper.
"The ICC needs some governance and they need to be given it very, very quickly, otherwise it will splinter off", he said.
Crowe said the balance of power had shifted from the governing body, to the rich member nations and the demands of their television rights.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's senior player Stephen Fleming yesterday suggested more than mere name-calling and dodgy umpiring decisions are driving the bust-up between cricket's superpowers.
And he laid off bagging the under-fire Australians for their tough attitude to the game, saying the biggest surprise to him was the intensity of feeling from their own countrymen.
As the stoush between Australia and India paused for breath yesterday while the tourists played an ACT Invitational XI in Canberra, Fleming weighed in as one of cricket's longest-serving current players.
"You have two powerhouses going up against each other and you wonder whether bigger issues are driving some of these arguments," Fleming said. "It's not just someone being called names on the field."
Fleming, who led New Zealand in 80 of his 107 tests and 218 of his 280 ODIs, said while everyone wanted to see the International Cricket Council running the game, the financial muscle lay in India, the playing strength was led by Australia, which meant a delicate balance of power was in play.
And with West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor having had his reputation ruined by the ICC decision to drop him from next week's third test in Perth, Fleming wondered how to ease pressure on the officials.
"It's not in the spirit of cricket, but how do you ban pressure on umpires? Is it excessive appealing? Is it appealing ball after ball if it hits the pads? Is it appealing too long?
"To say you're putting pressure on the umpires there needs to be a set standard of rules so [you can see if] you've gone over the line. The ICC have attempted to do that, but you're always going to have a grey area where there's competition involved."
Fleming said confrontation is desirable from a viewing perspective as it adds an edge to the contest, but declined to criticise the Australian players' behaviour.
"[Former All Black captain] Tana Umaga summed it up: 'It's not tiddlywinks'. It's hard out there.
"The intensity of the debate and the situation where the Australians are being criticised by their own is probably the greatest surprise," Fleming said. "They play hard over there, they do create pressure on the umpires by playing hard, constant cricket."
Fleming admitted that he is old school, and still prefers a human element rather than using technology to make umpiring decisions.
"There has been some improvements with umpires with lbw decisions. They are getting more confident about making decisions, and when they make a howler it's for the world to see," he added.
Fleming thought the citings of Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian Brad Hogg appeared "messy". Both incidents were a player's word against another - "it sounds very messy and without a neutral official being involved does look a bit schoolboyish".
- additional reporting by nzherald.co.nz staff
