DUBAI: The full ICC board gathers in Dubai this week for one of its quarterly meetings against a backdrop of talk that it is becoming increasingly marginalised in the running of world cricket.

Among subjects on the agenda are the umpire-decision-review system, the Future Tours Programme after 2012, the rescheduling of the cancelled ICC Champions Trophy and official and unofficial cricket.

With the second season of the ICL underway, there will be considerable interest in the report of David Morgan, the ICC’s president, following his meeting with the ICL’s Subhash Chandra of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited.

Morgan will also present options over how the Champions Trophy, which was postponed in September, can be squeezed into a packed FTP sometime during 2009.

The thorny subject of the FTP will also produce some interesting exchanges. While officially the main discussion points are a new structure for bilateral series and the possibility of a Test Championship — with much talk of protecting and promoting the format — the real thrust will centre on creating windows for the IPL and Champions League.

Perhaps the only non-controversial agenda item will be the report on the umpire decision review system, which was trialled during the Sri Lanka-India Test series a couple of months ago.

If it deems appropriate, the board will nominate four series for further trials of the system between now and the meeting of the ICC’s Cricket Committee, due to take place in April/May next year.

“The idea of further trials would be to provide exposure to the system for as many match referees, umpires and players as possible ahead of a decision on whether it should be implemented permanently,” an ICC statement said.

If the ICC decides to go ahead with the trials, Australia’s home and away series against South Africa could be two major tours that have the umpire review system. India’s series against England and tours of Pakistan and NZ also fall in this period.