The Cricketer's People of the Year: Ian Watmore - a dignified man

GEORGE DOBELL: We seem to live in a time when public figures think they can brazen out even the most heinous revelations. There was none of that with Watmore

It's a provocative choice, in a way. There's little point claiming that Watmore's spell at the ECB was anything other than a failure: after little more than a year in position as chair, he agreed to step down having lost the confidence of the first-class counties.

So, why pick him? Well, there are several reasons.

For one thing, he did make an impact at the ICC. It was, for example, Watmore's enthusiasm for the Olympics which went a long way towards pushing the ICC down that road. As a result, there seems a decent chance the sport could be included in The Brisbane Olympics of 2032. The only other time it was included was in 1900.

That's relevant. In the past, the big impediment to the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics was the resistance of the 'big three' of India, England and Australia. Put simply, they didn't really need it. Or, more honestly, they stood to lose more than they gained by giving up a window to the tournament which could be filled with their bilateral tours.

But Watmore, as chair of the ICC Olympic Working Party, saw the bigger picture. He saw that, across the globe, inclusion of cricket in the Olympics could help bring the sport to a new audience, especially in the target audience of the USA. He also understood that the sport would receive government funding in many nations once Olympic status was agreed. It might even bring it to a new audience in the UK who would see the sport in free-to-air TV during the Olympics.

So, Watmore persuaded the other ICC nations to at least pursue the idea. And, just as importantly, he started the process of trying to persuade the IOC to consider including cricket in the sport.

While it appears to have been too late for the 2028 games in LA, there is still hope for 2032. While his plan, initially, was to use the T20 format, he remained open-minded about using T10 instead with a view to being able to include more countries.

^{Ian Watmore left his post after just over a year in the role (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

Watmore also played a key role in the removal of Manu Sawhney as the ICC's chief executive. Watmore, alongside his ICC Olympic role, was also chair of the ICC’s Human Resources committee. So, it was Watmore who reviewed the findings of a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) review which brought to light concerns about Sawhney's management style.

This included allegations of bullying which had affected the health of staff members as well as an allegation that he took decisions without adequately consulting the board. As a result, Watmore recommended the sacking of Sawhney. It was a brave decision which, in the hands of a weaker individual, would have been fudged.

Watmore's biggest mistake was in agreeing to the cancellation of England’s tour to Pakistan. It was an awful decision, really. It demonstrated a failure to understand the ECB's responsibilities or obligations and a default on the debt owed to Pakistan for visiting lockdown England in the summer of 2020.

"History probably won't remember him especially kindly, but if cricket does return to the Olympics, the sport may well earn him some gratitude"

But it would be naive to think Watmore made the decision unilaterally. Instead, it seems he consulted widely and, not wanting to shirk his position, took the responsibility himself to ensure nobody else was damaged by the consequences. It was probably naïve and it was certainly wrong, but there was a well-meaning innocence to the way he protected members of the ECB executive, the PCA and other board members.

There was also something dignified about his decision to resign. We seem to live in a time when public figures think they can brazen out even the most heinous revelations. Just think of Donald Trump, who refused to even accept an election result.

There was none of that with Watmore. Instead, it was mentioned to him that the counties had lost confidence in him after a domestic planning meeting in which he lost control and he agreed to step aside.

^{Watmore's resignation followed the fallout to England's decision to cancel their tour of Pakistan (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)}

There was no rancour or recrimination. No blaming or shaming. He simply accepted the role he had taken on in a per-pandemic era had outgrown him and that the "demands on [his] time [were] dramatically different to all our original expectations". All of which, he said, had "taken a personal toll on me". In other words, it was a bit more than he could manage.

It's worth reflecting on the counties here, though. After years of complaining about the robust management styles of Colin Graves and Giles Clarke, they had quickly tired of the more gentle, consensual approach from Watmore. You wonder if they may come to regret that decision.

So, was Ian Watmore a great chair of the ECB? No, we can't claim that.

But did he prove himself a decent man who did his best in a tough role at an almost impossible time? Sure. History probably won't remember him especially kindly but, if cricket does return to the Olympics, the sport may well earn him some gratitude.

THE CRICKETER'S PEOPLE OF 2021 (links open in external window in app)

Alice Capsey

Azeem Rafiq

Ben Stokes

Joe Root

Nathan Leamon