On ICC’s strategy for future:The ICC has a strategic plan from now to 2015 and I remain committed to that. It includes the spread and development of the game — at this point of time we have 97 members. Funding the development programmes is also important, so we will try to put more resources into the developing areas On ICC cutting into players’ interests:One of the main tasks is to make sure that the players and their representatives are satisfied. Players are assets and without them we will never have top-class cricket. The ICC and the players have a good understanding and also unity and we will see that their personal agreements are honoured.On players’ burnout and too much cricket:The players are always consulted when the fixtures are made and their representatives have always agreed to the fixtures provided. If they feel the programme is too tight, their representatives are always welcome to talk with us. ICC does have players’ representatives coming in from their respective boards. We listen to both sides and discuss before coming to a consensus.On match fixing:There has been a decline in such incidents since 2000. We have a team in place which is looking after that aspect of the game. The ICC will not tolerate anything out of line.On ICC’s new-found love for Twenty20:The Twenty20 is a new concept that we believe will stimulate interest in the game. I remember way back the whole family would come with picnic baskets to watch cricket. Twenty20 cricket has stimulated that interest in cricket again. There is music, that same vibe and the youth are very interested. This type of cricket will take on throughout the world, even in developing nations because it is just a three-hour game. And yes of course, preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup are going on in South Africa. On rule changes:The cricket committee is there to make improvements and additions in order to make the game more exciting. That committee makes recommendations to the Executive board. The board is scheduled to meet on June 29, go through the present recommendations, and come up with a decision. And finally, on women’s cricket:They are an integral part of the ICC setup and have been included in our programmes. There will soon be a World Cup like the one in SA two years ago.
