Zimpapers Logo

Mustafa Kamal resigned as president of the International Cricket Council yesterday with an outspoken attack on the world governing body after he was prevented from presenting the World Cup trophy.Kamal accused the ICC of behaving “unlawfully” after he was barred from making the presentation. He said he was blocked because he refused to withdraw an incendiary allegation of match-fixing.

The Bangladeshi national had said after his country’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat by India that there was “no quality in the umpiring” and suggested the result had been “pre-arranged”.

The claim drew a sharp rebuke from ICC chief executive David Richardson and Kamal later complained that he had been deprived of his “right” as ICC president to present the trophy to the winners, Australia, in Melbourne last Sunday.

Instead that honour went to India’s Narayanaswami Srinivasan, who took over as ICC chairman last year and who was booed at the ceremony.

“I resign right at this moment. I am no longer ICC president,” Kamal told reporters at the airport in Dhaka, where he arrived on Wednesday from Singapore.

“The main reason for my resignation is that I can’t work with those who can act unconstitutionally and unlawfully.”

The ICC confirmed that Kamal had resigned in a letter to the organisation but said the outgoing president had cited “personal” reasons and had not made any complaint against any individual.

Kamal’s position has been largely ceremonial since Srinivasan took office as ICC chairman last year.

On Wednesday he launched an extraordinary attack on the Indian national, calling him “rotten” and “controversial” and suggesting the ICC could stand for “Indian Cricket Council”.

“I feel bad even to mention his name,” he said. “If that man is in charge of cricket, how will cricket run?”

Srinivasan was forced to quit as head of India’s cricket board over a corruption inquiry involving his son-in-law.

Kamal, who is a government minister in Bangladesh, had earlier threatened to quit over the umpiring of the quarterfinal.

He said he had been told he would only be allowed to present the trophy if he withdrew his claim of bias.

“I will not withdraw the statement because it was the sentiment of 160 million people,” Kamal said, referring to the population of Bangladesh. — AFP