London: For much of its history the International Cricket Council (ICC) was unable to do anything without the approval of England and Australia, the two original Test nations. So the announcement from the ICC's headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday that it had agreed in principle to be effectively run by India, England and Australia had a familiar ring to it. Plans to bolster the position of the 'Big Three' within the ICC include the formation of a new five-man executive committee, with three seats reserved for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA).


ICC President Alan Isaac (left) and CEO David Richardson during a press conference at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images

The BCCI now generates 80 percent of world cricket's wealth and the only way most other boards remain financially afloat is from the colossal television rights they receive from a tour by India. Almost as understandable was the BCCI's decision to form links with CA and the ECB, the only other major boards to consistently turn a profit. Prior to two-day ICC board meeting in Dubai, a leaked 'position paper' from the 'Big Three' suggested they be spared relegation in any new two-division Test set-up because of their commercial importance.