The governing of cricket is meant to be down to the ICC, but in reality they do not have as much power as they should. A reason for this being that the two super powers of world cricket want to apply their own ways on the game. English cricket has traditionally been the association which had supremacy over world cricket, but the BCCI have firmly taken over role because of the wast amounts of money available to cricket in India.
This seems to be the fundamental reason for the long term feud, it is very possible that the ECB do not like this shift of power. It is also possible that the BCCI want to have a bigger say on ICC matters using their powers for personal interests, just like the ECB have done in the past.
The latest argument is over having a window to play domestic T20 competitions, this window could be worked so that it does not effect English domestic cricket, but this will mean cutting the IPL right down. This argument will never be settled because the ECB do not like players going around the world through the season and the IPL makes the BCCI a lot of money. The long standing issue over DRS is still going on. Giles Clarke recently advocating the proposal for the home sides having a right to choose if the system should be used without consultation of the away team. It is not clear why India just do not accept the system, but what is clear is that the ICC board will not make DRS mandatory until BCCI accept it.
Another issue of dispute between the two boards is about how many teams should compete in the world cup. It has been suggested that non test playing nations support India as they want more teams in the world cup. The proposed test championship was also scrapped after India started to perform worse in test cricket. This is something that the ECB do not like, they without a strong Indian team could not generate enough interest.
The ECB decision to pull out of the champions league for the next few years is also a little perplexing, this was a good way for county teams to earn a little extra money as well develop players. It is evident that the ECB jealous of the success of the IPL. This being a reason why they didn't allow any of the England players to play in the first few seasons.
Another issue that other people have against English cricket is that the governors at the ECB are seen as a little snobby. This can be represented by English players and pundits alike only rating Ashes series above anything else in cricket. Australia on the other hand seem to realise that winning a world cup is on a par. Some of the England players also have had a run in with the board because they are depriving some top players of competing against the best players in the world.
The arguments are not just between the boards but also the media. English media generally want India to create pitches that suit England and seem bowling. When they don't and England don't win they have a ready made excuse. The Indian media dislike the fact that the English media are focused only on England and ignorant to world cricket and the fact that they don't bother pronouncing players names properly. Wasim Akram stated a few weeks back on Indian TV that he doesn't talk to English media any more due to them being overly biased to England.
From the arguments of the last few years it can be suggested that both parties are at fault and a little stubborn when it comes to dealing with the other party. The power struggle will continue and there is no end to the general bickering which takes place.
It is now time for the ICC to change the system of governance. My suggestion would be to make ICC full of former players who are voted in by current players and an election every few years. Players like Andrew Strauss and Rahul Dravid could have roles here. Only if the ICC get firm then all this silly fighting will end.
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