A day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a review of the delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, it has been confirmed that a three-member committee consisting of Roger Twose, Lawson Naidoo, and Imran Khwaja will conduct a thorough investigation.
The ICC members, who unanimously voted in favor of this investigation, believe that the T20 World Cup held in the United States and West Indies was plagued by financial mismanagement. Last week, two senior ICC employees, Events Head Chris Tetley and Marketing and Communications Head Claire Furlong, resigned after long tenures with the organization. Top ICC sources revealed that the committee might appoint an external company for a comprehensive forensic audit.
“It was unanimously decided to give the committee complete autonomy to conduct the review. There is a strong possibility that an external company will be hired to perform a thorough forensic audit of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Every detail and transaction will be meticulously examined,” said an official familiar with the developments.
The four-day Annual Conference of the ICC, which included meetings of the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) and the Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee, concluded on Monday in Colombo, Sri Lanka. ICC members are clear that if the investigation uncovers any financial mismanagement, ICC Chair Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice may have to step down.
It has also been learned that the roles of Tetley and Furlong will be closely scrutinized, and the committee has the authority to decide if their workplace access should be restricted or if they should be suspended pending the investigation.
“Two ICC employees have already resigned, but the committee will investigate their roles during the World Cup. The committee will have the autonomy to decide on suspensions or access restrictions to ensure no hindrance during the investigation,” the official added.
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In addition to the review of the T20 World Cup, another cultural review of the ICC is highly likely. In 2021, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) UK conducted a cultural review of the ICC, and the findings, which led to the sacking of CEO Manu Sawhney, were only shared with ICC Board members and the chairman’s office. The report, considered by many to be biased against Sawhney, has since disappeared and has not been accessed by anyone else within the ICC or its member boards.
“There is a need not only to do the right thing but also to be seen as doing the right thing. As the global governing body of cricket, the ICC must be accountable to its members and fans worldwide. Transparency is essential, and it has been lacking in many ways,” said those tracking developments.
Both the external audit of the T20 World Cup and the cultural review will be closely watched by all stakeholders, as the delivery of the multi-nation event in the West Indies and the USA last month has raised numerous questions about the ICC’s operations.
