ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed took potshots at Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Lalit Modi, suggesting he is not qualified enough to comment on matters of international cricket.
"Modi has shown lot of promise as a cricket administrator in the one year he has been in the BCCI and the two years he has headed his state or provincial association. But the fact remains that he has not attended a single meeting of the ICC," said Speed, at a press conference, in Jaipur on Monday.
"The ICC is not just for India; it is for 97 countries," he added.
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Speed was addressing the media at the Sawai Mansingh stadium, which is currently under the control of Rajasthan Cricket Association, which Modi heads.
He was reacting to recent comments by Modi and his colleague I S Bindra that the ICC is "behaving like the East India Company".
Speed said the ICC did not take their comments too seriously.
"I don't take them too seriously. They are more of an opinion than fact. Modi has made some strident comments about what is wrong with the ICC. ICC is a not for profit organistation, it is not like the East India Company."
At the centre of the war of words between the ICC and BCCI is the Members Participation Agreement (MPA), which governs the marketing aspects of all ICC events from 2007 and 2015.
The BCCI has refused to sign the MPA in its current form.
Speed rebutted Modi's charge that the MPA provided for one party to unilaterally change the terms of the agreement.
"The terms can be varied only if seven of the Full Members (of the ICC) come to an agreement collectively at a meeting. India have a say in that," he said.
"We need this agreement to facilitate the members to deal with a third party. It cannot be varied by one person representing the ICC. We are on the same side as BCCI. We are part of the collective group."
Asked about India's apprehensions over the ambush marketing clauses, he reiterated that the MPA was "far more lenient" on the players with regard to their images being used for advertisements.
"The new document has fewer obligations with regard to the Squad or Player Terms than the previous one... if you want, I can arrange for a detailed workshop. But, rest assured, it (the MPA) is quite different from the previous one."
Speed said what disappointed the ICC the most was the BCCI airing its grievances through the media instead of following the laid down process to sort out the problems.
"The first draft was sent to the members in April, and it was not until the last days of September that the BCCI raised its concerns," he said.
"Other members too had their concerns and the draft was re-drafted... What we now have is the fifth draft. If we need to do the sixth, or seventh or eighth draft, we will do that."
On the BCCI bidding for media rights, Speed said the ICC has to verify its qualification since the rights are open only for broadcasters.
"The BCCI has suggested it is a broadcaster. The ICC will look at the issue. It raises a fairly complicated issue."
