Move to Lord's still uncertain

DUBAI // The International Cricket Council (ICC) are still unsure over whether their proposed move away from Dubai, where they only moved to a year ago, would be beneficial. David Morgan, president of the ICC, is leading a task team of seven executives, which includes IS Bindra, the principal advisor, and Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive, who will assess the feasibility of a move away from their headquarters.

The governing body only moved into their premises, in Dubai Sports City, 12 months ago, having spent three-and-a-half years in temporary offices in Al Thuraya Tower in Media City. The board initially expressed the desire to relocate to Lord's, which had previously been their home for 96 years, in October, pending a study into the cost-effectiveness of a move. "We are determined to proceed with the due diligence activity before deciding whether we should relocate," said Morgan.

"Why do we want to move anyway? That is a difficult one to answer. "There is no doubt that the executive board, in October meeting, was certainly minded to relocate the headquarters. "I believed that before we could take that decision, we should examine the consequences of moving from here on the one hand, and into the United Kingdom on the other. "There are tax issues and personnel issues. The [ICC offices in Dubai Sports City] is a fit-for-purpose building for an international governing sport body."

The only timescale Morgan could give on a decision to stay or go was "in the near future", but he has confirmed Lord's is the only destination under consideration. pradley@thenational.ae