Tim May quits, blasts ICC culture A fed-up Tim May has quit his international players' union post, saying cricket's powerbrokers use threats and backroom deals to rule the sport. The former Australian Test spinner resigned as chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), a position he had held since 2005. May departed with a brutal critique of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it was failing the sport. "Cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals," May said in a statement on Wednesday. May's resignation was met with sadness by Australian captain Michael Clarke, who said the players' advocate had a great influence on the game. "It's difficult to imagine where the players of today would be without Tim May's contribution," Clarke said in a statement. Ex-Australian captain Ricky Ponting said May was a pioneer. "Thanks to him, players are now receiving a fair share of the game's revenues," Ponting said in a statement. May was the Australian Cricketers' Association chief from 1997 until 2005, when he moved to head the international players' collective. May said he quit after tiring of fighting the "battle for change" against an ICC board who "see no reason to change." Some ICC directors neglected their duty to the global interests of the game while also resisting proper player representation, he said. The players deserve better. Increasingly, the administrators of the game seek to force out or alienate those who question its alleged misuse of power, or those who seek greater transparency, or provide rational argument against the ills of the administration. It appears that some administrators just don't want to be held to account to the standards that are expected of them ... the current system is failing us. The final straw for May came last month when he was ousted as the players' representative on an ICC panel, with India accused of plotting to remove him. "Over the past 18 months or so, I came to the realisation that I was tiring of working in a sport that was increasingly at odds with the principles I respect," he said.