MCC, which once governed cricket and still has responsibility for its laws, is to extend its influence in the international game by forming a committee of leading Test cricketers under the chairmanship of Tony Lewis, the former England captain, to lobby the ICC and examine changes that could be wrought at all levels throughout the world.

The remit of the MCC World Cricket Committee is to discuss all aspects of the game, especially those that have an impact on the laws or the spirit of cricket, which was the club’s initiative under the presidencies of Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter. It will be empowered to conduct research, particularly into technological advances and biomechanics. The first meeting will be at Lord’s on April 24.

MCC has emphasised that it will be supportive of the ICC, but with such single-minded individuals as Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Atherton and Steve Waugh on the committee, it will indeed “constructively question or challenge changes to the game”, as the club indicates.

Time will tell whether all this will be to the liking of the ICC, which is no longer based at Lord’s but in Dubai. Three particular topics up for discussion during the all-day meeting will be laws 24.2 and 24.3, which deal with unfair deliveries; why the white ball used in one-day cricket is scuffed and changed so often; and more assistance for umpires through the use of technology.

The other committee members will be Mike Brearley, Martin Crowe, Tony Dodemaide, Rahul Dravid, Andy Flower, Mike Gatting, Majid Khan, Barry Richards, David Shepherd, Alec Stewart and Courtney Walsh, although Crowe, Shepherd and Gatting will not be able to attend the inaugural meeting. Between them, the committee members have 1,183 Test caps.

Lewis, whose initiative this is, said: “I am delighted that so many top cricketers have agreed to serve on the committee. They will be well qualified to discuss matters relating to national and international cricket, from the lowest level to the ICC, and to provide support or to challenge as appropriate. This forum will replace the Laws, Spirit and Ethos sub-committee, which was created under the chairmanship of Ted Dexter in 2000, when MCC streamlined its committee structure, and which carried out much valuable work on behalf of the club.”

Even now, the popular image of MCC is a relic of the British Empire whose members are largely made up of old colonels with mutton chops drinking gin and tonic and slumbering in the Long Room after lunch. Lewis, who was elected a member in 1965 and wrote a book on the club to celebrate its bicentenary in 1987, disputes this.

“MCC, in my time, has always been a chamber of fair debate, seriously democratic, everything decided in what was believed to be the best interests of cricket and cricketers,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES

THE FA exercised influence within Fifa, world football’s governing body, during Sir Stanley Rous’s time as secretary of the former from 1934-62 and president of the latter until 1974, but that has dissipated. Every utterance that Fifa makes appears to be damning of English football. Relations between the bodies are strained at best, fragile at worst. By contrast, the Rugby Football Union has had little conflict with the International Rugby Board except over voting on who will stage the World Cup. Relations are said to be harmonious but distant.