The Grill: Malcolm Speed

With Malcolm Speed making a rapid and undignified exit as the chief of the ICC, we track back to 2007 when he took his turn on The Grill.

ICC boss Malcolm Speed has been under siege since the World Cup was completed. The Serve asks the tough questions, and gets some telling answers.

The Serve: Mal, thanks for joining us

Mal Speed: Please, call me Mr. Speed.

TS: OK, Mr. Speed, did you enjoy the World Cup?

MS: Oh, very much so. Wonderful tournament.

TS: But it was full of disasters…

MS: I won’t say it wasn’t eventful, but overall we’re pleased.

TS: Pleased about what exactly?

MS: So much to choose from. The television numbers were terrific, the standard of cricket, the full houses…

TS: Full houses? There were over fifty matches, and the only games that were sold out were the final and Brian Lara’s farewell…

MS: Right, that’s two times. Full houses. Two makes a plural.

TS: You believed the standard of cricket was satisfactory?

MS: Oh, absolutely. We saw some tremendous performances. Malinga’s double hat-trick, Adam Gilchrist’s century in the final, and so on. I believe just about every match was choc-a-block full of stellar performances.

TS: Just about every match was a one sided hammering…

MS: I didn’t say the stellar performances were coming from both sides. You’re not really paying attention, are you?

TS: I am starting to waiver. You mentioned television. What sort of numbers are we talking about?

MS: Well, the world has what? 6 billion people. Okay, well we had 51 matches, carefully spread out so they’d clash as little as possible, so multiply 6 billion by 51, and we have a potential viewing audience of over 300 billion! That would be fairly compelling I would have thought.

TS: You cannot be serious. Do you sincerely believe that a teenage girl in, say, China, was watching Kenya versus Canada?

MS: Can you prove she wasn’t?

TS: I guess you’ve got me. What about suggestions the tournament was too long and people got bored….

MS: I would dispute that.

TS: In what sense?

MS: The people were bored well before the tournament became too long. Look, we got unlucky with Pakistan and India getting knocked out in the first round. I mean, having Ireland and Bangladesh hang around for another three weeks wasn’t the fault of the ICC.

TS: You’re the ones that gave six non-test nations a start.

MS: Yes, but they were just there to fill the television quota. Don’t blame me because they happened to win.

TS: When the final became a debacle, ending in darkness, you said that would be the memory most would take away from the World Cup…

MS: God I hope so. That might make them forget the other stuff.

TS: Finally, what sort of plans do you have for the next tournament?

MS: I think we can make it bigger. I think we can make it better. All the worldwide sports, including ours, look to the Football world cup as the standard. Sixteen teams? Not enough. Football has 32 teams, so why can’t we? That way we can double our potential worldwide audience to 600 billion! More teams. More product. How can we lose?

TS: Do you think that would work?

MS: I did when I ran the National Basketball League. What a fine organisation that is.

TS: Thanks for your time

MS: Call me Mr. Speed.

Interview may not have actually happened

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