The Club: Empire, Power and the Governance of World Cricket

The Club uncovers the fascinating history of cricket’s world governing body as it evolved from the Imperial Cricket Council, established in 1909 to bring together the cricket-playing countries of the Empire, into the International Cricket Council, a multi-billion-dollar business dominated by the Indian Board of Control and its allies.

"How is cricket run? The Club, at last, provides answers where there have previously only been questions."

"Rod Lyall is a passionate and learned observer of the global phenomenon – part sport, part business – known as cricket. This is an essential and timely book."

"This is a riveting and important document on the history of the ICC. The political machinations in cricket tend to be underreported, with few journalists willing to dig deep. But Rod Lyall has been plugged in for decades and his knowledge shines through on these pages. The power structure in cricket has long been contentious and learning about these dynamics - with shifts in power also mirroring the erosion of colonialism which underpin this British sport - provides an understanding on the decisions, for better or worse, that are being made from the top."

"Never before has an author squarely and unflinchingly addressed the governance of the game and exposed how the decisions of a select few have dictated how cricket has developed and the state it finds itself in now. In The Club Rod Lyall has filled that gap in the cricketing canon and has done so with relish and aplomb. The Club is a triumph of erudition and scholarship and is a must read for those who are curious about how the game developed and how it is run."

“The Club doesn’t always make particularly pleasant reading, but it is always engaging and fulfils its goal of revealing how cricket is run…. It is highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in knowing how and why cricket ended up in its current position."

The fascinating story of cricket’s world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and how it grew into a multi-billion-dollar business.

From cricket journalist, historian and academic Rod Lyall.

This meticulously researched and authoritative history reveals how:

• Privileged aristocrats and mining magnates turned cricket into a ‘civilising’ force of empire, promoting the politics and prejudices of their class
• Cricket’s world governing body evolved – from its early days in St John’s Wood, London as the Imperial Cricket Conference into the International Cricket Council, a multi-billion-dollar sporting business, based in Dubai and increasingly dominated by a financially and politically ambitious Indian elite
• The ICC failed to deal effectively with such challenges as the Bodyline controversy, apartheid in South Africa and Kerry Packer’s commercialisation of the game
• Media rights deals and global events sponsorship have created new problems: match-fixing, administrative corruption and the threat from franchise leagues

This is the first full account of the ICC’s origins and its roots in imperialist ideology, charting its rise from a talking-shop into a multi-billion-dollar global business driven by massive worldwide TV audiences.

• | Author: Rod Lyall
• | Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• | Publication Date: Mar 24, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781801509503
• | ISBN-10: 1801509506