The ICC and the BCC exchange ugly emails for 'tax solutions'

ICC VS BCCI

Icc & Bcci logo, Cricketix

As election fever grips world cricket right within the middle of a horrible pandemic, making the political environment of the sport look uglier than it already is, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and BCCI - not the simplest of working mates - are involved in an unpleasant exchange of emails involving the 2021 T20 WC and 2023 50-over World Cup to be hosted in India.

The ICC's general counsel and company secretary Jonathan Hall has written to his counterpart within the BCCI asking the latter to "provide evidence" of efforts that India has made "to date" to urge a tax solution for the events. The Indian cricket board has been trying to urge the central government to require up the matter for quite a while now. Over the last few months, due to a national lockdown and therefore the union government busy with larger problems with extreme urgency, concerned authorities have found little time to consider anything , leave cricket.

The ICC, nevertheless, seem least perturbed by what the society generally is facing immediately .

"In light of the BCCI's notification of act of God , we might highlight the requirement on the BCCI began in clause 20.1(a) of the Host Agreement which IBC (ICC Business Corporation) is entitled to terminate the agreement with immediate effect at any time from 18 May 2020 in accordance with clause 20.2," Hall wrote to the BCCI on behalf of the ICC.

The IBC is that the parent body's commercial arm. What the above para really means is that BCCI notified the ICC of a 'force majeure' given the Covid crisis on hands, as a matter of ritual , a step that they need crazy broadcasters Star India too where the IPL cares .

"In turn, the ICC now says that given the host agreement (for the 2021 and 2023 events), the IBC is entitled to terminate the agreement, which suggests what they're saying is that they will deduct the 2021 and 2023 events from India if BCCI and therefore the refore the Indian government don't answer the matters of tax exemption through a process recommended by them (ICC) and the deadline is over. What the ICC is actually doing is taking over the Indian government," say those within the know.

The BCCI, for the record, has withheld India's US$23m for the 2016 event - a matter that has taken the legal route already. Meanwhile, there's more to the story that keeps getting murkier.

The ICC has further conveyed that "the BCCI has clearly had a few years to rearrange the tax solution and is cognizant of the importance of it to IBC and to the ICC members (...) and therefore the got to provide those solutions no later than 18 months before the 2021 T20 WC".

Otherwise what? Ask those in India tracking developments. "The ICC will take the planet Cup faraway from India? The 18-month deadline got over in April. But given the pandemic, we see no reason why the deadline can't be extended by a few of months," sources add.

The BCCI, for the record, has written back to the ICC & Hall that the deadline be extended to June 30 or one month after the lockdown is lifted, whichever is later.

Deadline aside, there's more to the story that gets murkier. The BCCI is further miffed with a specific line within the ICC letter that reads: "IBC isn't prepared to comply with the requested extension".

The Indian board says it is time to call out the bluff here. "The IBC consists of directors from member boards of ICC. Which are these directors who aren't prepared to comply with an extension?

Is there a signed document? Share it with the BCCI".

TOI spoke to 3 directors from different countries and every one refused to talk on the record. However, all three unanimously agreed that they need not been signatories to any such document. "What it tells us is that this is often mere politics at play. There are two or three individuals at the ICC with their own persona interests doing this. Their bluff must be called out," say sources within the know.

The teleconferences concerning ICC's board meetings begin on May 26. Once they are doing , the BCCI are often expected to boost the matter altogether seriousness with repercussions to follow.

For the record, broadcasters Star India's 45% payout from the prevailing rights cycle will come from these two events in India. That's an astounding percentage and given the losses that Star incurred during the 50-over World Cup in England, the sole events they stand to form revenue is from the India events. "Has anyone asked the broadcasters what they want?" say those tracking developments