Jamie Dowling"Perception is reality" is a phrase much beloved of leaders until it gets applied to them. Same goes for sports governing bodies too.
Cricket's governing body, the ICC has a real problem in acknowledging the perceptions of others and proving them wrong.
Take the issue of getting the teams playing in the World T20 competition safely home.
Daren Sammy - an honourable and positive man - has been keeping a log of his team's days in India since they were knocked out of the tournament.
Quinton de Kock has also been vocal on this issue.
It's interesting that the South African team are still also in India. But England - who are part of the Big Three alongside India and Australia - were found a flight home.
Michael Vaughan - someone whose claims should always be assessed against whether players he mentions are part of any management company he is involved with - has come out saying "the power is all wrong".
Shame that Vaughan didn't show in 2015's Death Of A Gentleman voicing concerns about power imbalance and vested interests.
BTW, if you haven't seen Death Of A Gentleman, do look it up.
Whatever the ICC may claim (and over the years I've had a few issues with some of the stuff they put out on social media), they still don't understand that Perception is Reality. If you want to rebuff what you consider a false allegation, publish your evidence with a polite, conciliatory explanation.
The logistics may well be complex, but the optics are bad. ICC look to be playing favourites again. Their prepared media statements don't mean much unless backed up with evidence.
