Cricket fans should protest attempted 'power grab' by India, Australia, and England: Expert

A freelance writer who writes mainly about soccer and cricket, has called on cricket fans to use every medium of interaction possible to stall the three powerhouses of the sport, India, Australia and England, from trying to grab more power from an already powerless International Cricket Council (ICC).

In an article for the Sports24 web site, Antoinette Muller has said that while there is little or no point in boycotting games, fans and well wishers of the South African cricket team, as also cricket fans all over the world, should take the bull by the horns to let these three cricketing behemoths know that what they're doing is not cool.

Categorically questioning an ICC "position paper" that proposes that important cricketing decisions are left squarely with India, Australia and England, Muler has called on fans to tweet, email, send a letter or a carrier pigeon, issue a petition to make "your voice heard".

Muller further states, rather emphatically, that a statement needs to be made not only about the proposed position paper, but also about the way the ICC is being run in general.

She has called for change and for those in charge of the game to take ownership of this process of change for the betterment of the game.

She believes that technically, the restructuring of cricket governance will only serve to make official what is almost already happening.

She describes it as a power grab of the highest order, and adds that cricket will end up being the ultimate sufferer.

Batting for Cricket South Africa (CSA) in particular, Muller is candid in admitting that South Africa isn't exactly hot property financially when it comes to undertaking cricket tours to the country, but adds that enough money can be made when it comes to big match ups as for example the forthcoming home

series against Australia.

She supports CSA for calling the ICC proposal paper "fundamentally flawed" and "in breach of the ICC Constitution".

Muller has also called on CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat to stand up again and neutralise the all powerful BCCI by galvansising and leading the opposition to the proposal mooted by the latter.

The proposal is to be put to the vote at the end of the month, and therefore, all ICC members have a deadline to think about it, digest it and make a decision on it.

She concludes that though fans are not permited to vote on ICC decisions, they are major stakeholders as far as the game of cricket is concerned, and therefore, must act sooner than later.