he International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday clarified its position regarding national selection committee Chairman Graeme Labrooy and his dual role as a selector and international match referee.
The issue had garnered some renewed media attention, in the wake of Sri Lanka’s early exit from the Asia Cup, and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had sought a clarification from the ICC regarding the issue.
In response, the ICC’s Senior Manager of Umpires and Referees Adrian Griffith said that it was satisfied with the current situation regarding Labrooy, since his dual roles did not create a conflict of interest, in their eyes.
“When the position of Chairman of Selectors was offered to Graeme, he immediately consulted us and we saw no conflict of interest with him holding a position with SLC, such as this, and being a referee,” a statement released by SLC yesterday read.
“Our only concern, surrounded ensuring he would not be officiating any games or events, where he was involved in selecting the team.”
“As such, we did not appoint him to the U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. He continues to be eligible however, to officiate in women’s cricket, as he is not involved in the selection process of the Women’s Team,” it went on to read.
Labrooy himself gave a similar answer – that he was not officiating games directly related to his work as a selector — when the media questioned him, also adding, “The ICC has no problem with it, SLC has no problem with it and I see no reason why the media should have a problem with it”.
