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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the governing body for international Test Match and One-day International Cricket . It was founded as the '''Imperial Cricket Conference''' in 1909 by representatives from England , Australia and South Africa , renamed the '''International Cricket Conference''' in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989. The ICC has 96 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 32 Associate Members, and 54 Affiliate Members. The ICC is responsible for appointing the and Match-fixing through its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). HISTORY On June 15 , 1909 representatives from England , Australia and South Africa met at Lord's and founded the Imperial Cricket Conference. Membership was confined to the governing bodies of cricket within the British Empire where Test Cricket was played. India , New Zealand and West Indies were elected as Full Members in 1926 , doubling the number of Test-playing nations to six. After the formation of Pakistan in 1947 , it was given Test Status in 1953 , becoming the seventh Test-playing nation. South Africa resigned from the ICC in 1961 due to Apartheid . In 1965 , the Imperial Cricket Conference was renamed the ''International'' Cricket Conference and new rules adopted to permit the election of countries from outside the Commonwealth. This led to the expansion of the Conference, with the admission of Associate Members. Associates were each entitled to one vote, while the Foundation and Full Members were entitled to two votes on ICC resolutions. Foundation Members retained a right of veto. Sri Lanka was admitted as a Full Member in 1981 , returning the number of Test-playing nations to seven. In 1989 , new rules were adopted and International Cricket ''Conference'' changed its name to the current name, the International Cricket ''Council''. South Africa was re-elected as a Full Member of the ICC in 1991 , after the downfall of the Apartheid regime; this was followed in 1992 by the admission of Zimbabwe as the ninth Test-playing nation. Bangladesh was admitted as the tenth Test-playing nation in 2000 . .]] In 2001, the ICC established an office in Monaco to ensure that its commercial income would remain free of Tax . After 96 years of being based at Lord's Cricket Ground , the ICC moved its main administrative offices to Dubai , United Arab Emirates in August 2005. This move enabled the ICC to bring together its staff from London and Monaco into the same new Dubai office, whilst continuing to allow their commercial activities to be in a tax-free environment (as they had been in Monaco). COMMERCIAL FOCUS The ICC has a strong commercial focus and it has a duty to its members to maximise the value to them of its primary "property" the by the Editor as a "turkey of a tournament" and a "fiasco". UMPIRES & REFEREES The ICC appoints international , the International Panel , and the Associates And Affiliates Panel . As of April 2006, the Elite Panel includes ten umpires. In theory, two umpires from the Elite Panel officiate at every Test match, whilst one Elite Panel umpire stands in ODI matches togetehr with an umpire from the International Panel. In practice, members of the International Panel stand in occasional Test matches, as this is viewed as a good opportunity to see whether they can cope at the Test level, and whether they should be elevated to the Elite Panel. The Elite Panel are full-time employees of the ICC, although do still, very occasionally umpire first-class cricket in their country of residence. The average, annual, officiating schedule for Elite Umpires is 12 Test matches and 15 ODIs, a potential on-field workload of 75 days per year. The International Panel is made up of officials nominated from each of the ten Test-playing cricket boards. The Panel Members officiate in ODI matches in their home country, and assist the Elite Panel at peak times in the cricket calendar when they can be appointed to overseas ODI and Test matches. International Panel members also undertake overseas umpiring assignments such as the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup (and will be heavily involved in the umpiring of the 2007 Cricket World Cup ) in order to improve their knowledge and understanding of overseas conditions, and help them prepare for possible promotion onto the Elite Panel. Each of the Test cricket boards nominates a "third umpire" who can be called upon to review certain on-field decisions through instant television replays. All third umpires are first-class umpires in their own county, and the role is seen as a step onto the International Panel, and then the Elite Panel. The newest panel of umpires, set up in February 2005, is the Associates and Affiliates Umpires Panel. It was designed to offer a pathway to top level umpiring for officials from the ICC's 82 Associate and Affiliate Member countries. As of January 2005, it has 10 members (none of whom umpire first-class cricket) from countries such as Nepal and Fiji . It is planned that these umpires will officiate at the ICC Trophy and the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup and could even be invited to be involved in the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup. There is also a Panel Of Elite Referees who act as the independent representative of the ICC at all Test and ODI matches. As of January 2005, it has 7 members, all highly experienced former international cricketers. The Referees do not have the power to report players or officials (which has to be done by the umpires), but they are responsible for conducting hearings under the ICC Code of Conduct and imposing penalties as required at matches, ranging from an official reprimand to a lifetime ban from cricket. Decisions can be appealed, but the original decision is upheld in most cases. ANTI-CORRUPTION AND SECURITY Following the coming to light of serious Corrupt ion by cricketers connected with the legal and illegal Bookmaking markets, the ICC set up an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) in 2000 under the retired Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police , Lord Condon . Amongst the corruption on which they have reported was that of former South African Captain Hansie Cronje and other South African Cricketers who had accepted substantial sums of money from an Indian bookmaker for under-performing or ensuring that certain matches had a pre-determined result. Similarly, the former Indian Captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Indian Player Ajay Jadeja were investigated, found guilty of match-fixing, and banned from playing cricket (for life and for 5 years, respectively). The ACSU continues to monitor and investigate any reports of corruption in cricket and protocols have been introduced which (for example) prohibit the use of Mobile Telephone s in Dressing Room s. DISCIPLINARY ACTION The ICC has a " Code Of Conduct " to which teams and players in international matches are required to adhere. Where breaches of this code occur the ICC can apply sanctions, usually fines. In 2004 the ICC imposed 35 penalties on players, including the captains of most of the national teams. {Link without Title} CONTROVERSY The nature of its role is such that the ICC has courted controversy frequently, in particular where sport and politics come into conflict. This has been particularly so over the issue of Zimbabwe , with the ICC's insistence that fixtures with the Zimbabwe national team, both inside and outside that country, be fulfilled despite the difficult political circumstances in the country and the overtly discriminatory selection policy of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union against white Zimbabweans. {Link without Title} . On Zimbabwe the ICC chooses to define its role as being solely about cricket issues, a stand that it recently reiterated despite the resignation of the young Zimbabwe captain in March 2006. The ICC has also had to deal with drugs and bribery scandals involving top cricketers. MEMBERS . Full Members, that play Test Cricket , are shown in orange; Associate Members in green; and Affiliate Members in purple.]] See Also: List of International Cricket Council members The ICC has three classes of membership: Full Members, the ten governing bodies of teams that play official Test matches; Associate Members, the 32 governing bodies in countries where cricket is firmly established and organised but which do not qualify for Full Membership; and Affiliate Members, the 54 governing bodies in countries where the ICC recognises that cricket is played according to the Laws Of Cricket . REGIONAL BODIES These regional bodies aim to organise, promote and develop the game of cricket:
COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS The ICC organises various First-class and One-day cricket competitions:
The ICC has instituted the ICC Awards to recognise and honour the best international cricket players of the previous 12 months. The inaugural ICC Awards ceremony was held on 7 September , 2004 , in London . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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