Perth, 1985. India were trailing West Germany 1-5 at hockey's Champions Trophy with about eight minutes left when a 20-year-old fullback picked up the ball near the halfway line, ran at the defence, skipped past four defenders, and lifted it over the goalkeeper. It sparked a comeback still counted among Indian hockey's greatest. India scored four times in that spell to draw 5-5. Forty-one years later, the Congress has handed him the ball in Punjab with lots to defend against, and everything to play for. "It all happened so fast. Maybe the Germans did not expect it from me," Pargat Singh recalled about that match in Australia in a 1991 interview. On Friday, the party named the former Olympic captain its state unit chief, two days after Amarinder Singh Raja Warring resigned and months before the 2027 Assembly elections. Picking Pargat was a fallback, though not purely defensive. Former minister Vijay Inder Singla, a Hindu from the Bania (trader) community who he...
International Cricket Council CEO Geoff Allardice has decided to step down just weeks before the Champions Trophy with a board member indicating that his failure to present a "clear picture" of host Pakistan's lack of preparedness is one of the multiple reasons behind the move. The 57-year-old joined the ICC in 2012 as General Manager of Cricket, coming from Cricket Australia, where he served as Cricket Operations Manager. He was appointed CEO of the ICC in November 2021, after having served as acting CEO for eight months.
"It has been a privilege to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council and I am incredibly proud of the results we have achieved, from enhancing the global reach of cricket to the commercial foundation put in place for ICC Members," Allardice said in a statement.
"I believe this is the right time for me to step down and pursue new challenges," he added.
The official ICC statement made no mention of the exact reasons for Allardice's departure but a top source said the development has been building up for a while.
"The ICC T20 World Cup in the US was big a flop in terms of playing conditions and also it exceeded budget, the auditing is still being done," the board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"What broke the camel's back was Champions Trophy where as CEO, he was supposed to give a clear picture about readiness of Pakistan to host a tourney of such magnitude," he added.
The Champions Trophy is due to start on February 19 with India playing its share of matches in Dubai owing to security concerns in Pakistan.
The bigger concern for ICC is, however, the fact that tournament venues in Karachi and Rawalpindi are still partially under construction or renovation and the images that have trickled in from there do not paint a very positive picture.
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan would be ready in time for the marquee event, which features the world's top eight teams and is being held for the first time after 2017.
However, ICC Chair Jay Shah praised Allardice for his contribution to the game.
"On behalf of the ICC Board, I want to sincerely thank Geoff for his leadership and commitment during his tenure as Chief Executive. His efforts have played a key role in advancing cricket globally.
"We are truly grateful for his service and wish him all the very best in his future endeavors," he said.
The ICC Board will now begin the process to identify Allardice's successor.
His departure continues the exodus of former chair Greg Barclay's team from the ICC.
Earlier, Chris Tetley (head of events), Alex Marshall (head of Anti-Corruption Unit) and Claire Furlong (head of marketing and media) had quit their positions on personal grounds.
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