International Cricket Council

Gavaskar will be asked to choose between conflicting roles

Cricinfo staff

March 25, 2008

	Sunil Gavaskar: a conflict of interests © Getty Images

Sunil Gavaskar, whose dual role as chairman of the ICC's cricket committee and trenchant columnist has caused concerns in several quarters, will be given the option to choose either function, the executive board of ICC has decided.

Gavaskar's position came up for discussion at the ICC board meeting in Dubai last week and Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has been authorised to take up the matter with Gavaskar. The decision was unanimous.

They are expected to meet in Dubai later this week, an ICC spokesperson confirmed to Cricinfo. It is believed that Gavaskar is currently holidaying in Dubai.

"Gavaskar is a cricket legend, but it was felt that his as ICC cricket commitee chairman was in direct conflict to his role as a journalist and commentator," said a source close to the situation. "ICC has not taken a decision in this regard. It is Gavaskar who has to decide now which role he is comfortable with. It's completely up to him."

The spotlight trained on Gavaskar's conflicting duties when he criticised match referee Mike Procter in his newspaper column for banning Harbhajan Singh for alleged racial abuse against Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test in January. Gavaskar later denied that he called Procter a racist in his column.

However, after the ICC's meeting in Dubai last week, Gavaskar slammed England and Australia in another syndicated newspaper column. "Gone are the days when two countries, England and Australia, had the veto power in international cricket, even though the dinosaurs may not open their eyes and see the reality," he wrote. "The cricketing world has found that India has no longer a diffident voice but a confident one that knows what is good for its cricket, and will strive to get it."

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