Melbourne, Dec. 7 : Australia's cricket powerbrokers are expected to hand over control to an independent commission by July next year, if so recommended by the Crawford-Carter report.

The Cricket Australia board is meeting today and tomorrow to go over the report's recommendations.

David Crawford, who has radically reshaped Australian football, soccer and Olympic funding, and Colin Carter, the former AFL commissioner, will propose a hybrid board structure comprising nine members, The Age reports.

Of those, six can be nominated by the states, provided they do not hold positions with state associations or Big Bash teams, and three will be appointed from elsewhere according to specific business criteria.

Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards wants change but sources suggest it could take time for him to convince 75 per cent of directors, the majority needed for reform, to vote themselves out of office.

''''I think it will probably get accepted down the track. I don''t think anything will happen at this meeting but I think it will still come in by July 1 next year,'''' one well-placed source said.

The Crawford-Carter report is understood to be highly critical of the delegate system that breeds self-interest and the funding model that means states depend on distributions from CA for survival.

While several directors are supportive of establishing an independent board, there will be misgivings about the loss of cricket knowledge that will come from sacking long-serving state directors. (ANI)