Defending ICC Champions Trophy (CT) winner India could remain an absentee from the Champions Trophy 2017 in England if things don't get better between the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the ICC (International Cricket Council). The Indian cricket board is disappointed with the world governing body over certain issues.
While it was reported days back that the Anurag Thakur-led BCCI was miffed with the ICC's budget allocation to ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) for hosting the CT 2017, things got worse after the BCCI were excluded from the ICC's finance committee meeting held in Dubai few days back.
Fresh reports have come out on Wednesday that the BCCI will contemplate asking the India cricket team to pull out of the Champions Trophy 2017, scheduled to start on June 1. India play arch-rivals Pakistan in their first game of the competition on June 4.
"The problem with the ICC now is that it is acting like a dictator," a BCCI official told the Indian Express. "Apart from the 'Big Three' model that the ICC now wants to change, it is slowly trying to keep the BCCI at bay."
The ICC is planning to revoke the "Big Three" revenue model, which sees India receiving major share of revenues, along side Australia and England, from the ICC.
The BCCI's exclusion from the ICC Finance Committee meeting this year has been taken as a sign of disrespect by Thakur and Co. "These are the committees where all the important decisions are taken — finance, commerce and chief executives committee; India not having a representative (in those committees) is a humiliation for us," said BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke.
"We will tell the ICC, 'either you amend this or we will decide what to do to protect India's cricket interests globally'. It could be anything. We may even not play the Champions Trophy. Better sense may prevail, and we may not reach that stage at all. But there are so many options," Shirke minced no words.
The BCCI, meanwhile, has also opposed the ICC's proposal of a two-tier system for Test matches, which is likely to include promotion and relegation of teams.
