How the ICC Was Formed: Cricket's Global Governing Body Explained

The Imperial Cricket Conference, 1909

The International Cricket Council — originally called the Imperial Cricket Conference — was founded in 1909 by England, Australia, and South Africa at Lord's Cricket Ground. The purpose was to formalise the calendar of Test matches and establish consistent rules for international cricket. The name reflected the imperial context: all three founding members were British Empire nations.

Expansion and Renaming

West Indies, New Zealand, and India joined as full members in 1926. Pakistan joined in 1952 following partition, and Sri Lanka joined in 1981. The body was renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965 — dropping 'Imperial' as decolonisation made the term inappropriate. It was renamed again to the International Cricket Council in 1989. In 1993, the ICC moved its headquarters from Lord's to Dubai, UAE, where it remains.

From 10 to 100+ Members

The ICC now has over 100 member nations across three categories: Full Members (12 nations with Test status), Associate Members (nations that play international cricket but without Test status), and Affiliate Members (developing cricket nations). The ICC administers all global cricket events including the World Cups (T20, ODI, Test Championship), the ICC rankings, and the anti-corruption and anti-doping programmes.

BCCI's Dominance

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the world's wealthiest and most influential cricket board. Its dominance in ICC decision-making has been a source of ongoing tension — particularly around the allocation of revenues, which has historically favoured India, England, and Australia at the expense of smaller boards. The ICC's 2014 restructuring gave India, England, and Australia a larger share of global cricket revenues, a decision that was eventually revised following significant associate member pressure.