The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, all white countries renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989 and new rules adopted to permit the election of countries from outside the Commonwealth.
The ICC has 106 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 37 Associate Members, and 59 Affiliate Members. West Indies, New Zealand and India were elected as Full Members in 1926, doubling the number of Test-playing nations to six.
The overall Development Program is managed by the Global Development Manager, Mr Matthew Kennedy, who is based at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. The international game grew with several “affiliate nations” getting involved and, in the closing years of the 20th century, three of those became Test nations also: Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
The first ever international cricket game was between the USA and Canada in 1844. The match was played at the grounds of the St George’s Cricket Club in New York.
The ICC is responsible for the organization and governance of cricket’s major international tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. It promulgates the ICC Code of Conduct, which sets professional standards of discipline for international cricket, and also co-ordinates action against corruption and match-fixing through its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
The last ICC President was Zaheer Abbas. In 2016 the position of the president of ICC was abolished. The current CEO is  Manu Sawhney and the present chairman is Shashank Manohar. The new head of council is CEO and Chairman of ICC.
The ICC also has a “Code of Conduct” to which teams and players in international matches are required to adhere. Where breaches of this code occur the ICC can apply sanctions, usually fines. In 2006 the ICC imposed 27 penalties on players.
The ICC Mission:
As the international governing body for cricket, the International Cricket Council will lead by:
- Promoting and protecting the game, and its unique spirit
- Delivering outstanding, memorable events
- Providing excellent service to Members and stakeholders
- Optimizing its commercial rights and properties for the benefit of its Members
Vision of Success
As a leading global sport cricket will captivate and inspire people of every age, gender, background and ability while building bridges between continents, countries and communities.
Strategic Direction
A bigger, better, global game targeting more players, more fans, more competitive teams.
Our long-term success will be judged on growth in participation and public interest and the competitiveness of teams participating in men’s and women’s international cricket.
Values
- Openness, honesty and integrity
- Excellence
- Accountability and responsibility
- Commitment to the game
- Respect for our diversity
- Fairness and equity
- Working as a team
The ICC appoints international umpires and referees, sponsored by Emirates Airline, who officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The ICC operates 3 panels of umpires: namely the Elite Panel, the International Panel, and the Associates and Affiliates Panel.
Prior to the 2007 Cricket World Cup ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed warned against any corruption and said that the ICC would be vigilant and intolerant against it.