Lalit Modi

The speed with which Lalit Modi has taken the IPL away from India and confirmed South Africa as the host nation next month has been simply breathtaking, establishing him beyond doubt as one of the most effective sports administrators in history.A tournament that was in danger of collapse because of Indian security issues has been rescued by Modi's foresight, decisiveness and staggering self-belief. It is one thing to recognise a solution, it is quite another to make it happen. England may talk at times of his arrogance, but his dynamism has lessons for us all. It is salutary to reflect on how much most of us achieved by comparison in the 48 hours or so between Sunday afternoon, when Modi pronounced that the IPL would not be staged in India, to Tuesday afternoon, when South Africa were chosen ahead of England to host the tournament.

Modi, like many successful businessmen, bows to democratic processes when things are running smoothly, but he could not be more autocratic when a crisis hits. This rarely matters. When decisions carry dangers, others are so fearful of the pitfalls that they are happy to hide behind someone brave enough to put their reputation on the line.

When Modi decided to act, his tactics were perfect. He probably knew from the start that South Africa was his preferred option, but he also knew that dealing with a sole bidder gave him limited room for manoeuvre. So he called up England as an alternative and cleverly, gratefully and with the certainty of someone with a good product to offer, played one off against the other.

He was at his shrewdest in repeatedly insisting that a decision had to be made by Tuesday. All around him, there was an urge to slow things down. But with reflection would come doubts and with doubts would come a loss of impetus. The only option was to force through the decision and then address the logistical problems that will now become apparent.

He saw a problem and dealt with it: rapidly, straightforwardly, emphatically, with not a sub-committee or viability report in sight. He deserves a tournament to remember.