The most urgent issue facing world cricket is unity, the game's first general manager said today as his appointment was confirmed by the ICC. Speaking to Wisden.com from Lord's, Dave Richardson, the former South African wicketkeeper who has just become ICC's first general manager (cricket), said it was essential that the member nations united behind the ICC. Asked what was the most pressing issue facing the game, Richardson said: "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."

Richardson conceded that there was a risk of his appointment being seen as another case of a white man getting a top job with ICC. "Superficially there is that danger," he said, "but hopefully I can convince people when I actually meet them that there are no hidden agendas. 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 brewed 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."

Asked where he stood on discipline, Richardson said he was "probably somehwere in the middle" but still believed in the traditions of the gentlemen's game. "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."

Full interview

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