MUMBAI: The newly-appointed chief executive officer of Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHALLC) Keith Wyness believes the organisation?s foundations will help turn the dream of bringing world-class cricket to the United States of America (USA) into a reality.

The dream has remained just that for many years despite the country being able to boast substantial interest in the sport. But Wyness said the framework that CHALLC has put in place will help ensure the venture will succeed where past efforts have failed.

Wyness said, ?We have been able to look properly at getting the correct permissions. We have involved the ICC (International Cricket Council) right from the start, we have got the Full Member involvement of New Zealand and we are working with USACA (the United States of America Cricket Association).

?So we have got it right in terms of the right pyramid of cricket authorities and that makes a fundamental difference to everything that has gone before. With that, we are able to sit back and plan properly and strategically to make sure we get everything in the right place.?

Crickey Holdings America is a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the USACA for the development of cricket within the USA.

Wyness, formerly the CEO of two Premier League football clubs, Everton in England and Aberdeen in Scotland, worked on the Sydney Olympic Games of 2000 and has for over a decade been living and working in the USA. He will be responsible for the delivery of a business plan which will include the sale of Twenty20 franchises for a professional league set to begin next year.

?At present we are looking at a target date of starting games in the summer of 2013. We will certainly have lead-up events through 2012 and that will give us (the chance) to introduce the game and give people (the opportunity to get) more understanding of what we are trying to achieve," Wyness said.

Twenty20 is the format that has been identified to push the visibility and penetration of cricket in the US. ?However, we will also be supporting other forms of the game if there is a need and desire (for them) as we move forward,? said Wyness.

Wyness played down suggestions that governance issues within the administration of the game within the USA could potentially hamper attempts to develop the sport.

?There are always going to be debates and different points of view and I do not see anything unusual in that at this time of the lifecycle of a sport. As we move forward with Cricket Holdings America and we can show there can be major penetration (of the game within the USA), those differing opinions will become things of the past and everyone is going to move forward towards getting the best interests of cricket promoted in the best possible way," he said.

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has tried to compensate for its inability to push through the Test Championship by announcing an enhanced prize money of a total of $3.8m to be shared among the top four sides over a three-year period.

The prize money will see an incremental increase year-on-year with a total of $1.2 million to be distributed in 2013. The amount will increase marginally to $1.27 million in 2014, while the total prize money will be $1.34 million.

Previously, the top team in the Reliance ICC Test rankings received a cheque for $175,000 but in future will receive a minimum of $450,000 rising to $500,000 in 2015. From 2016 there will be further increases in Test prize money.

The decision to hike prize money was taken at the ICC Board?s meeting in Dubai Wednesday.

The ICC Board also passed a unanimous resolution recommending to the ICC Council seeking an amendment to the ICC Articles of Association to split the president?s from 2014.

The recommendation, which creates a new system whereby the President would be an "ambassadorial" role appointed on a one-year rotational basis, while a Chairman would lead the Board, will be discussed at the next ICC Board meeting before being submitted for approval by the ICC Annual Conference in June.

As part of the process for changing amendments to constitution, the board also deferred the nomination of Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal?s nomination for the post of vice-president from 2012-14 which was jointly put up by Pakistan Cricket Board and Bngladesh Cricket Board.

Furthermore, Egon Zehnder, the international executive recruitment firm, has been appointed to conduct the search for the ICC Chief Executive who will replace Haroon Lorgat when he vacates the position at the end of the Annual Conference in June 2012.

Other decisions taken at the ICC Board held the first of its scheduled 2012 meetings in Dubai on January 31 and February 1 were:

Independent Governance Review

Following adoption of the new ICC Strategic Plan in April 2011 which, inter-alia, identified the need for an independent governance review as one of the key initiatives to ?Build a Bigger, Better Global Game?, the ICC Board received from Lord Woolf of Barnes and PricewaterhouseCoopers a 60-page report containing 65 recommendations and a transitional plan.

The report was presented at the meeting and, as was previously decided, the Board agreed to study the report in detail together with ICC Members and other stakeholders before fully considering the report and its recommendations at the next Board meeting in April 2012. The recommendations are summarised into five main areas: Role of the ICC, The ICC Board, Ethics, Membership, Board structure & Committees, and Funding.

Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme (TAPP)

The ICC Board approved an initial $12m Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme (?TAPP?) which is aimed at developing more competitive teams among Full Members and Associate/Affiliate Members. This decision sets in practice an initiative identified in the ICC Strategic Plan, the ?Targeted Performance Fund?, and is also in line with a recommendation contained in the Woolf Report.

Amongst the necessary criteria, Member applicants will need to present a proper strategy and business plan aimed specifically at improving on-field performance (Performance Improvement Plan (?PIP?).

Guyana and the West Indies Cricket Board

While condemning the interference of local government in the affairs of Guyana Cricket Association by dissolving the board and replacing it with an interim committee, the ICC Borad also reiterated the principle of non-interference in the sport by Governments also recognised by the West Indies Cricket Board, the governing body of cricket in the Caribbean.

MUMBAI: The ICC is requesting proposals from companies interested in becoming the event management services operator and the television production service provider for this year?s LG ICC Awards, which will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 15 September.

The successful company, or companies, must have a proven track record in running the relevant aspects of such an event as well as sufficient resources and experience to provide all the necessary services and adequately trained personnel.

ICC GM commercial Campbell Jamieson said, ?The LG ICC Awards is a hugely important night in the international cricketing calendar. It is a way for us to acknowledge publicly and meaningfully the contributions to our great sport of players and umpires. It is seen as the Oscars of cricket and it is important the event is organised and televised in such a way that is consistent with that glamorous and prestigious feel,? he said.

?For the successful applicant or applicants, putting on the LG ICC Awards 2012 will be an excellent opportunity.?

The LG ICC Awards are run in association with the Federation of International Cricketers? Association (Fica).

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board will hold the first of its scheduled 2012 meetings in Dubai, from 31 January -1 February.

The major topics on the agenda include ICC VP (2012-2014) nomination.

The ICC board will consider the nomination received from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the next ICC VP who will succeed Alan Isaac as the ICC president in 2014.

Promotion of Test Cricket: Following the decision to defer the Test World Championship, the ICC Board will consider a proposal to increase incentives in the form of prize money to promote Test match cricket in the period before the ICC Test Championship event in 2017.

Other agenda items include update reports on the ICC Global Cricket Academy, the implementation of Anti-Corruption Codes at domestic level, the adoption of a Safety and Security Code, the independent report from KPMG on ticketing during the ICC Cricket World Cup and the annual report from the ICC Ethics Officer

Independent Governance Review: In April 2011, the ICC had adopted a new strategic plan which identified the need for an independent governance review as one of the key initiatives to ?build a bigger, better global game?. In August 2011, after confirming the scope for the review, the ICC Board appointed Lord Woolf of Barnes and PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct the review.

The governance review is intended to help the ICC?s aspiration to be a well governed and leading global sporting organisation. The Board had agreed that, inter-alia, the ICC?s committee structure and Board makeup will benefit from a thorough governance review, recognising that the ICC?s Memorandum and Articles were drafted at a time when the cricket landscape was very different.

Following an interim report presented by Lord Woolf during October 2011, the ICC Executive Board will now receive a final report with recommendations. Lord Woolf, who has been assisted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and advised by Judge Mudgal of India, had previously praised the Board for embracing the concept of an independent review.

The scope of the review is comprehensive and includes:

- Clarifying the role and structure of the ICC and its committees to ensure that strategic goals are met effectively and that decision-making is made in the best interests of the game. This would include consideration of independent committee members and directors

- The ICC president nomination and election process

- The Member categories and criteria for membership

- The effectiveness of the regulatory environment

- The Constitutional framework and documents to ensure they are ?fit for purpose?

- Making recommendations to ensure that the ICC enjoys a reputation as a well governed and leading global sporting organisation.

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has acquired the Pakistan broadcast rights for International cricket Council (ICC) cricket matches for the next three years as a sub-licensee of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

Taj Television bid $15 million for the rights. Independent Media Group, which runs Geo, bid $5 million.

Independent Music Group had previously won the right to contest the tender through the Lahore High Court, after PTV had originally indicated that Ten Sports would acquire the satellite and cable rights. The court last month had directed PTV to hold a tender.

Taj Television CEO Atul Pande told Indiantelevision.com that Independent Media Group was the incumbent. They questioned the deal that Zee and PTV had done with ESS which is the global rights holder for the property. Hence the court ordered a tender.

Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that Ten Sports had taken the ICC telecast rights for Pakistan. While it would show the live telecast of ICC matches in Pakistan territory on its satellite sports channel, PTV would telecast it terrestrially.

The biding process was carried out by a four ?member evaluation committee of the PTV Board of Directors. The committee, consisting of three ex-officio senior government officials and PTV MD, conducted the bidding process.

The committee had held meetings last month. The committee also considered the bids submitted by Independent Media Group (petitioners in the LHC case) and Taj TV as well as other prerequisites and subject to formalities to be completed by the prospective bidders.

In the initial bids both parties failed to provide a satisfactory bid in terms of value or to fulfilling necessary prerequisite, formalities and conditions. Due to this, both parties were provided an equal opportunity to submit fresh bids on 27 December 2011, with all formalities fulfilled and requirements in order for their bids to be treated as valid and acceptable to the bid evaluation committee.