Tuesday, January 15, 2002 You've heard of poachers turned gamekeepers. Dave Richardson is a rarer phenomenon: a wicketkeeper turned gamekeeper. In the space of four years, he has gone from pouching Donald and Pollock's edges to being appointed world cricket's first general manager.

But he is something of a poacher too, as he has recently been a players' representative, negotiating with the South African board and sponsors. It's as if a shop steward had been asked to join the board. "Yes, it's a little bit like that," Richardson says with a smile. And he says his appointment is "definitely" a sign that ICC wants to involve the players more in the decision-making process. "But I wouldn't say I'm coming from the other side of the fence. There shouldn't be a fence."

Richardson's job description is somewhere between wide-ranging and terrifying. According to ICC's official announcement this morning, the role includes "all cricket-related matters ... playing conditions for the international game, relationships with captains and players, the ICC Code of Conduct, use of technology and the ICC Future Tours Programme."

Oh, and they almost forgot "the implementation and management of the ICC's panels of international referees and umpires," which come into force in April. Plus the Test Championship, and the one-day championship which, if not quite on the agenda, is certainly on the horizon. When Richardson says that what attracted him to the job was "the opportunity to be involved in cricket on a much broader scale than previously", he is not joking.

The ICC wanted an ex-player, never having managed to employ one before. Thankfully, they have got an untypical one. While some contemporary cricketers know little but dressing-rooms and airports, Richardson has always had one foot in the real world. He was a practising lawyer before he first played international cricket at the relatively advanced age of 32. And since retiring four years ago, he has been a TV commentator as well as a negotiator and director of the South African sports agency Octagon.

What he has not been is an administrator. He says he gained an insight into the running of cricket from his dealings "with Dr Bacher and Gerald Majola" of the United Cricket Board. It remains to be seen how well this will equip him to handle the squabbling siblings of the cricket family. But he has the right manner: relaxed, articulate, pleasant but not platitudinous.

Ask him what is the most pressing issue facing the game and he answers without hesitation. "Unity among the different countries. It's essential that all are united behind the ICC. After all ICC is made up of member countries, and as an outsider looking in, I would say the vital thing is that we all move forward together." He didn't mention Jagmohan Dalmiya; he didn't need to.

To some cricket lovers, this will look like another case of a white man getting a top job at ICC, to go with the two Australians who already run the show - the president, Malcolm Gray, and the chief executive, Malcolm Speed.

"Superficially there is that danger," Richardson concedes, "but hopefully I can convince people when I actually meet them that there are no hidden agendas. It helps that I didn't actively seek the job - it has been described as a `targeted appointment', which is a phrase I like. There will never be any hidden agendas. Anything that is done will be done for the good of the game."

If a row like the Denness-Sehwag one blew up again, what would Richardson's role be? "After a few months to get acquainted with the job, I would play the role that the CEO [Speed] was forced to play, handling the negotiations. And certainly dealing with the media. That highlights another aspect of the job - making sure the referees system works. I'm not so sure that it is working at the moment. It obviously has its flaws, as is borne out by what happened. It's vital that everyone buys into it, to make sure that that kind of thing doesn't happen again."

Through the mists of code, that sounded like a conciliatory noise towards the Indian board. That's not a phrase you hear very often from inside the game. "No, but I believe in playing hard and then congratulating the winner. The Australians seem to be finding quite a nice balance here. If a batsman scores 50, they're the first to congratulate him, and they stand back to let the batsmen go off the field first."

That may not go down so well with Indian fans. What about the Aussies' sledging, which clearly causes outrage in some quarters? "I'm probably in the middle on that too, but my views don't necessarily rule the roost. That's why it's vital that I consult widely, so that in the end the majority view prevails."

As a keeper, he must have done his share of chirruping. "It always seemed a little unfair to directly verbally assault the batter because short of wielding his bat at you, there's not much he can do about it. I had my moments but I didn't make it much of my business - I had enough to worry about trying to catch the ball."

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Tim de Lisle is editor of Wisden.com and former editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine.

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