KATHMANDU, Feb 20: A meeting of the ICC Advisory Committee has in principle agreed to solve the dispute of Nepali cricket by upholding the statute of the suspended Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) rather than drafting a new statute for formation of a cricket board.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had suspended CAN in April last year citing government interference and controversial election of CAN. Later, the ICC had formed a six-member advisory committee in October assigning it to draft a new constitution of Nepali cricket and facilitate in holding fresh election. The ICC has been directly handling the international affairs of Nepali cricket since the suspension of CAN.
The advisory committee meeting held on Saturday and Sunday in the capital in presence of head of ICC global development William Gleanwright and Finance Manger Ammar Sheikh took such decision, according to sources.
Following the decision, the office bearers of suspended CAN have also agreed to join the advisory committee, which they had declined to join in the past. “The meeting went ahead in a positive direction and the committee has agreed to make amendments rather than drafting a new constitution of CAN and hold free and fair election,” said Ashok Nath Pyakurel, the general secretary of suspended CAN. “Our concern of making changes through the statute of CAN was addressed.”
Pyakurel himself and Chatur Bahadur Chand, president of the suspended CAN, will join the advisory committee making it an eight-member team.
A press release issued by the ICC on Monday though has not mentioned adding the members in the advisory committee. “The Nepal Advisory Group was formed by the ICC to recommend amendments in the constitution of the CAN so that election could be conducted subsequently as per the revised constitution,” reads the statement issued by the ICC.
Rohit Dahal, one of the members of the advisory committee, also shared similar views as that of Pyakurel. “The meeting has agreed to go for amendment of CAN's statute. The committee has also principally agreed to add Pyakurel and Chand. The next meeting to be held in March will finalize the terms and conditions.”
Earlier, the suspended CAN, which was blamed for holding election controversially, had expressed dissatisfaction toward the action of ICC and had refused to join the committee.
CAN President Chand had refused ICC's proposal citing that the ICC action was against the established norms and it would only institutionalized government interference.
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