ICC CEO backs under-fire Dhoni

New Delhi: Dave Richardson, chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Sunday backed under-fire Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni saying that he "marvelled" at the amount of workload he handled.

Dhoni has been the subject of criticism from the Indian media and former cricketers for the team`s dismal run since winning the 2011 World Cup. "The only way you judge a keeper by how much he misses and Dhoni doesn`t miss too much. In fact, I have always marvelled at his work load, the fact that he is batting at No.6, captaining and keeping wickets," Richardson told reporters here during the third and final ODI between India and Pakistan. Richardson praised Dhoni for staying calm in pressure situations. "I think that he has exceptional talent. He also stays calm with his job. He is a good captain and he should remain at the helm," said the former South African wicketkeeper. Richardson also came out in support of the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that its positives clearly outweigh the negatives. "The IPL has more positives than the negatives. The skills developed in all three departments of the game, it added to the skills of the international players." Speaking about the formulation of other T20 leagues around the world, Richardson said they needed to be regulated and run professionally. "At the moment we have our working group looking at the possible regulations regarding domestic T20 league. But the organisers need to understand that if they are to survive they need to be professionally run," he said. IANS