Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi, February 15:

Dubai could “possibly” be approved as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) new headquarters at a meeting here next month, Ehsan Mani, who heads cricket’s governing body, said. Mani and ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed are in the final stages of talks with the Dubai government. A decision would be known in “two or three weeks” — well before the March 17-18 meeting here of the ICC Board of Directors, Mani said.

The ICC headquarters have been based at Lord’s ground in London for about 95 years. “The chief executive and I are in the process of actually going through that process now,” said Mani, who is here to meet ICC sponsors. Asked if the final seal of approval on Dubai would be put during the New Delhi meeting, Mani said: “Possibly, yes, possibly.” The ICC Board last year decided 11-1 in favour of shifting to Dubai from London. The Board of Directors comprises the board chiefs of the 10 Test-playing nations. Before voting on the issue of shifting of its headquarters, the ICC had been in talks with the British government on issues like tax exemptions — but Parliament did not accede to this. The talks with the British sports ministry are now over. The ICC Board voted in favour of Dubai mainly because of the nation’s flexible tax laws.