Narayanswamy Srinivasan’s elevation as ICC chairman enables the Indian cement magnate to rebuild his reputation as the most powerful man in world cricket, only weeks after his domestic empire came tumbling down.
Back in April, Srinivasan was forced to quit as head of India’s board as judges slammed his “nauseating” refusal to step down while allegations of illegal betting and spot-fixing involving his own son-in-law were probed.
But on Thursday in Melbourne his peers confirmed his appointment as International Cricket Council chairman in a move observers say will allow the 69-year-old to exert even more power within the game.
“It enshrines his position as the most powerful man in the game and it seems amazing to me that the rest of world cricket has allowed that to happen,” said Lawrence Booth, editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
“It formalises his grip on world cricket… It does now give him carte blanche to do whatever he wants to do,” Booth told AFP.
Srinivasan became president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) back in 2011 after cutting his teeth as an administrator in his native Tamil Nadu state and then later impressing as BCCI treasurer.
While the position of president had previously been largely a titular role, Srinivasan emerged as the board’s key powerbroker after the downfall of Lalit Modi — the BCCI vice-president who was the founder of the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament.
Under Srinivasan’s watch, India became ever more willing to flex its muscles as the game’s strongman, a status that it largely owes to the huge television audiences that it attracts at home and abroad.
Along with England and Australia, India forced through changes last February to the governance of the ICC, which handed the majority of power and revenues to the sport’s “big three”.
Most observers had already come to recognise that India largely called the shots within ICC even before February’s changes and Srinivasan’s elevation appointment essentially formalises his status as the game’s most powerful figure.
“Being in charge of the ICC has been a figurehead role but now you cannot see it being quite such a nominal position,” said Booth.
“India having all the power means he can negotiate what he wants. No one wants to get on the wrong side of India.”
Under Srinivasan, boards who fell foul of the BCCI — notably South Africa — found India unwilling or reluctant to embark on tours, thus depriving them of major windfalls from broadcast deals.
His unyielding nature was underlined as India refused to take part in the decision review system (DRS) that the rest of the game had embraced.
Despite generating huge revenues for the board, the IPL ultimately proved to be Srinivasan’s undoing in India when allegations of corruption engulfed his own team, the Chennai Super Kings, after last year’s tournament.
– Blind eye –
His son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was the team principal, was later accused of spot-fixing and illegal betting. Srinivasan’s downfall was sealed when the Supreme Court castigated him for refusing to step aside while wider allegations were investigated.
He was effectively toppled by the court in March and judges later accused him of turning a blind eye to wrongdoing in the IPL when they rejected his plea to be reinstated.
Rahul Mehra, a Delhi-based lawyer and a campaigner to clean up corruption in Indian sport, said Srinivasan should “voluntarily abstain” from his ICC post until the IPL investigations had been concluded.
“A person who has been asked to stay away from the day-to-day functioning of his home board, how can the same person be allowed to govern world cricket?” Mehra told AFP.
Srinivisan’s image was not helped when the Supreme Court ordered that no employee of his company India Cements could in future be employed by the board.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Srinivasan distanced himself from Meiyappan and said his conscience was clear.
“There are some charges against him (Meiyappan). He has to defend himself in court.. But that’s up to him. This is a question about me.”