ICC not to take Modi's comments seriously

Malcolm Speed has reacted sharply to Lalit Modi's recent media statements, stating clearly that the ICC wasn't taking any of those "opinions" seriously. He added that Modi had a "lot of promise as an administrator" but added that he was yet to attend a single ICC meeting.

Modi had gone on record in lambasting the ICC, terming them a "neo-imperialist" organisation and even going to the extent of calling them the East India Company. He'd also threatened that India would back out of all ICC tournaments if they didn't agree to meet India's demands regarding the Members Participation Agreement (MPA).

"Yesterday when I walked into the hospitality section of the ground, I was greeted by Tiger Pataudi, the former India captain," Speed said, "and he said, 'Let me be the first one to welcome the East India Company back to India'. And we had a good laugh about it. I've seen Mr Modi's comments and don't intend to respond in detail to all of them."

Speed felt that Modi's pronouncements could only classified as opinions and was quite blunt in saying that facts mattered more to him. "Mr Modi has made a lot of comments and I don't take them all too seriously. I'm more interested in facts than in opinions and what Mr Modi has done in his articles is expressed opinions - strident opinions about the ICC, what's wrong with the ICC and how the ICC needs an Afro Asian chief executive. We see those opinions, we note them and take them into account.

"Let me tell you a fact - Mr Modi has never been to an ICC meeting, never represented India in an ICC meeting. He's been vice-president of the BCCI for one year and he's been president for his local association for two years. I think he has a lot of promise as a cricket administrator and I think he's done a lot for the BCCI in that one year. But you need to look at his comments taking into account and putting into perspective that ICC is there for all 97 member countries and not just here for India, and that there are a lot of people who've been going to ICC meetings for a long time and know how it operates. I'm not interested in hearing opinions, I'm more interested in facts."