HONG KONG: Cricket's governing body began its annual conference Sunday with all eyes on controversial proposals to scrap its rotating presidency and bar non-Test playing nations from the next World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) kicked off four days of meetings between the chief executives' committee and executive board, followed by a full council meeting on June 30, at a hotel in downtown Hong Kong. The conference will consider moves, reportedly spearheaded by India and England, to scrap the two-year rotational presidency, although details of any new system remain unclear. The proposal is expected to be met with vehement opposition from Pakistan and Bangladesh, who are scheduled to nominate the body's next-but-one leader to take power from 2014. The ICC will also review its unpopular decision to limit the 2015 World Cup, in Australia and New Zealand, to the 10 full-member teams – excluding countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Kenya. Also on the agenda will be the issue of whether the ICC should adopt the controversial Decision Review System (DRS). The issue will be presented formally to the ICC's chief executives' committee. The conference kicked off Sunday with a low-key discussion on the ICC's rankings system, with the headline issues to be dealt with over the coming days. Sri Lanka league to go ahead without India Sri Lanka Cricket will push ahead with its inaugural premier league with Australian and Pakistani players, despite a no-show by Indian stars, the island's sports minister said Sunday. “We will lose a bit of money because Indian players are not coming but the tournament will be played as planned,” Mahindananda Aluthgamage said after talks failed to bring the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on board.
