by Michael Henderson

The International Cricket Council do not have a tune to call their own but if they did it would probably come from the Sondheim songbook: Every Day A Little Death. The game is changing at a mind-boggling rate. From week to week there are developments in what politicians like to call the "narrative", and it is clear that cricket's governing body are hopelessly ill-equipped to provide anything that resembles leadership.

Meeting this week in Dubai, the ICC could not be sure that the chief executive-elect, Imtiaz Patel of South Africa, even wanted the job. As things stand he is mulling it over and has suggested that his present job, as chief executive of SuperSport, the sports broadcaster, provides the fulfilment he needs.

Why would anybody want to run a broken-backed organisation like the ICC? In a sporting world littered with weak leaders, cricket is perhaps the worst of all. As the game is fragmenting before our eyes, those entrusted with its maintenance cannot be trusted with a straightforward change of office.

We saw again this week how matters of high principle are transmuted into moments of low comedy. Darrell Hair, bounced off the umpires' panel two years ago to satisfy Pakistan, is back on it, though he will not stand in any fixtures involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and, in all likelihood, India.

Apparently Hair has completed a period of "rehabilitation" - and what a ghastly word that is. This is how the ICC treat umpires who try to implement the laws of the game. Pakistan, you may recall, were considered to have forfeited a Test against England at the Oval in 2006 after their captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, twice declined an offer to lead his men back on to the field.

But you can't afford to upset the Pakistanis and you certainly can't upset the Indians, whose manifest destiny is to run world cricket in the 21st century. They have the money, they have the will, and they know that the balance of power has shifted irrevocably their way.

There is greater interest in the subcontinent than anywhere, and the changing nature of Indian society means that there are funds available to finance the transformation, as we have seen with the introduction of the Indian Premier League, which has, almost overnight, altered the landscape of cricket forever.

But power brings responsibility, and it is not at all evident that the rich personalities at the heart of this new venture are familiar with the idea of the greater good of the game. Say what you like about the old set-up, going back to the days when MCC ran the game, but the old boys, however flawed their judgment, did try to serve the game. When money talks, however, few bother to question the accent. And money is talking right now, and how. The IPL Thrashathon is about to take place, to loud hurrahs from the new establishment. Cricket will never be the same again.

Everywhere outside England, which has become a nation of big-event attenders, Test cricket is dying as a spectator sport. The international programme reflects this, with the surfeit of one-day matches, and the trend will become more pronounced in the next five years. Who knows whether five-day cricket will even exist then? It will, probably, but we can't be sure. It's a sad prospect for those who love the old-fashioned game, for whom a match conducted over 20 overs an innings will never move the soul. But we are in a minority, and there's not much we can do about it. A little death, every day.

Courtesy - The Island