Cricket South Africa denies discussing Lorgat's role with the Indian Board in order to secure their vote at the ICC meeting on February 8
Haroon Lorgat,BCCI President N Srinivasan,CSA,ICC
Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa has denied seeking to broker a deal with India to install its chief executive Haroon Lorgat in a powerful worldwide role in return for supporting board restructuring at the International Cricket Council.
In a statement yesterday morning, CSA president Chris Nenzani dismissed reports of a deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Haroon Lorgat and BCCI President N Srinivasan
It has been reported by ESPNcricinfo that CSA is considering committing to such an agreement, in the wake of the proposed changes to the leadership of the ICC that stand to see the BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) assume wide-reaching executive powers.
'Difficult time'
Directly responding to that claim, Nenzani said: "While we are engaged in discussions with the ICC and other members, including the BCCI, to find an acceptable way forward, we have not and will not consider deals that compromise our key principles and integrity.
"This is a difficult time for global cricket and attempts to mislead and create confusion are not welcome. "CSA vehemently denies any notion of deals being made with any other party. "On the contrary we will seek to uphold good governance and our professional approach to find solutions to the current proposals being considered by all the member boards."
Lorgat had a four-year stint as chief executive of the ICC, ending in 2012. On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) registered its firm opposition to the proposals from the ECB, BCCI and CA. The national bodies of England, India and Australia were behind a draft submission debated at the International Cricket Council's board meeting last week, which included a number of divisive recommendations.
Among them are the increase in influence for each of the 'big three', a new model of revenue distribution that would see the richest nations receive a greater share of ICC funds and an end to the centralised future tours programme. No vote was taken at the meeting in Dubai, although a series of "unanimously supported principles" were released.
That unanimity will be put to the test on February 8, when the ICC board meets again in Singapore to discuss — and possibly vote — on the proposals. Nenzani explained that the CSA had looked carefully at the proposals and hoped to discuss the issue further ahead of Saturday's meeting.
He added: "We have carefully considered the proposals and we have declared that we will engage further with the ICC and other members to try and reach any consensus ahead of Saturday's ICC board meeting and that position still stands.
"Naturally we want good relations with the ICC and all its members, especially India with whom we have always enjoyed a special relationship, but we will exercise our responsibilities with due care, skill and integrity and we will uphold the principles of good governance."
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