Agency :
The chief executive of Ukraine Cricket Federation (UCF) says it “ticks all the boxes” to become an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and that the game would not survive if it was denied entry.
Ukraine is expected to get second-tier membership at the governing body’s board meeting this month, entitling the war-torn country to Twenty20 International status and funds from the ICC, which has earmarked $30.8 million for its 96 associate members this year.
The Ukraine Cricket Federation (UCF) has been organising cricket for the last two decades and has a pool of 15,000 students, most of them Indian, at the senior level.
Its chief executive Kobus Olivier told Reuters it met all the ICC requirements before Russia invaded.
“We ticked all the boxes on Feb. 24 when the war started,” he said.
“I have so much belief in this process … and I am absolutely confident Ukraine will be an associate member of the ICC.”
Olivier, a South African, said the ICC should take note of how the EU “fast-tracked” Ukraine’s candidate status to join the bloc, saying it set a “very good precedent”.
