LAHORE: England’s former match referee Chris Broad has exposed the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) favoritism toward India, raising serious questions about the transparency of the world cricket governing body.
In a revealing interview with the British newspaper, Broad claimed he was once told to go easy on the Indian team over a Code of Conduct issue. “India were three to four overs short in a match, which clearly warranted a slow over-rate penalty,” he said. “But I received a call telling me, ‘This is India. Find a way, go easy.’”
Broad admitted that after the call, he adjusted the time calculations in India’s favor. He further revealed that in the next match, then-captain Sourav Ganguly repeated the same offense, yet the officials ignored it. “When I asked about it, I was told only Ganguly should be penalized,” he added.
Broad criticized the growing political interference in cricket, saying decisions are now made with political considerations in mind. He noted that India’s financial power has allowed it to exert significant influence over the ICC. Expressing relief over no longer being part of the ICC’s panel of match officials, Broad said, “The politics in the game has become so complex that staying involved was no longer possible.”
