Ali Bacher, a former chairman of the ICC and a Former president of Cricket South Africa, expressed his discomfort at the domination of the big three in cricket: India, Australia and England. Ali Bacher was quite fearless in his opinion and said that the game of cricket is not expanding as expected ever since the last decade or two.
Who is Ali Bacher?
He is one of the prominent faces of South African cricket, responsible for integrating into the cricketing world after the apartheid era. Ali Bacher played domestic cricket in South Africa in the ’60s and was part of the cricket board for South Africa for many years.
Cricket South Africa owes a great deal to Ali Bacher. He lobbied for reintegrating South Africa and created a domestic cricket infrastructure for its development.
Chairman of ICC (1993-99)
His stature in cricket led to his nomination to the governing body. His tenure can claim credit for the commercialisation of broadcasting rights, leading to millions of dollars in revenue for the sport.
He advocated for the global expansion of cricket. He initiated the World Cup qualifiers for cricket-playing nations, which led to countries like Kenya, Netherlands, and the UAE participating in World Cup tournaments.
Ali Bacher is disappointed with South Africa’s marginalization in cricket matters
Over 70% of the revenues in cricket are generated by India. It is no secret that they firmly grip all cricketing matters. Ali Bacher has expressed concern and anguish at the marginalisation of other cricket-playing nations like South Africa and Pakistan.
England and Australia cricket boards have teamed up with India to create a cartel that decides on all matters related to cricket, with the other nations having no say or influence in the decision-making process in the ICC.
Cricket can expand in Asia, not USA
Ali Bacher has questioned the logic of hosting the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA. He feels that the ICC should invest in Asia with its burgeoning population, which will lead to a substantial growth in the popularity of cricket and bring more countries into the cricket fold.
Things did not go as planned for Ali Bacher
Sadly for him, all his efforts and the good work he did for the growth of cricket have not led to an increase in the influence of the Cricket Board of South Africa. The BCCI usurped the opportunities and did a great job in the growth of cricket in India, making it a superpower in ICC.
But one should acknowledge the good work done by Ali Bacher for cricket.