Former Australian Test offspinner Tim May has resigned as chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), saying that he was tired of fighting the International Cricket Council (ICC).
May was ousted from an ICC panel last month amid allegations of pressure from India to remove him, following which FICA called on the ICC to investigate charges of ballot fixing after former Indian legspinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was elected to the panel to replace May, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Although he said that working for FICA was a great challenge, May added that he had grown frustrated by it in the past 18 months, stating that he realised that he was tired of working in a sport that was increasingly at odds with the principles that he respected.
Slamming the sports' powerbrokers and the direction in which they are taking the game, May stated that cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence, and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals.
May also said that cricket was repeatedly having allegations of corruption and malpractice, on and off the field, dominating the sport's headlines, adding that the ICC board still feels that it has no reason to change.
However, May hoped that his successor will enjoy a climate where those on the ICC executive board, who are strong and principled, will push for change and remember the primary responsibilities of an ICC director to serve the best interests of the global game.
May also said that he hoped that the ICC and its members form closer and more productive relationships with players and their representatives, rather than the current trend to resist proper player representation.
May further said that for the future interests of the game, the ICC needed to check the trend of the misuse of power and make cricket one of the world's best-governed sports.
