Tim May quits as players' chief, slams ICC

Tim May quit as head of cricket's international body on Wednesday (June 5) after eight years on the job, lashing out at the sport's powerbrokers and their alleged "threats, intimidation and backroom deals". 

May, who was last month controversially ousted from an International
Cricket Council players' committee amid allegations of pressure from India, said he was tired of battling the governing body. 

"More and more we see allegations of corruption and malpractice on and off the field dominating headlines," he said, stepping down as the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) chief. 

"As stakeholders in the game we look to leadership from the ICC to address these and other issues. 

"A vital ingredient of any organisation is the ability of its leaders to set the moral and principled example to others, and to police its organisation from top to bottom to ensure adherence to those principles. 

"Yet cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence, and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals." 

When the Australian former Test off-spinner was replaced as a players' representative on the ICC cricket committee by India's Laxman Sivaramakrishnan last month, FICA suggested there had been ballot "fixing". 

It claimed a run-off between May and Sivaramakrishnan was not conducted fairly, with some national boards exerting undue pressure on their captains to back the Indian. 

The ICC cricket committee makes recommendations on issues including the umpire Decision Review System (DRS), which May has pushed to be used in all international series. 

Opposition from the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) means it is not used in contests