NOOYI WOULD BREAK DOWN ALL BARRIERS

Politicking is heating up for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) top job. After the resignation of Shashank Manohar, whose two-term tenure was notable for alleviating the stranglehold of the mighty BCCI, the race has been on to find his successor.

- Tristan Lavalette

You know the drill – furious lobbying and shenanigans in backrooms, or rather on Zoom in these strange times, have been taking place and will intensify with the balance of power in world cricket at stake.

With the pandemic causing tumult, the ICC has had to prioritise urgent matters – particularly regarding scheduling of its major events – meaning the process to finalise a nomination route for the chairperson has dragged on interminably with an election date still unknown.

This week, an ICC meeting failed to reach a consensus on the selection process with bickering centred on whether to stick with a two-third majority needed among the 17 board members or revert to a simple majority. Even in these uncertain times, things feel momentarily back to normal with the ICC board being once again divided.

No clear candidate has emerged. Colin Graves had been deemed the frontrunner since exiting the ECB earlier this year but his support has seemingly gone lukewarm. All eyes have been focused on the BCCI, which has been keen to regain its heft after the more egalitarian approach favoured by Manohar, who had previously been the head of India’s governing body.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the headline name having received backing from influential figures outside India, including Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkara. Undoubtedly, Ganguly would vault into clear favouritism if he runs, testament to his and the BCCI’s sizeable gravitas. But the former India captain’s candidacy is shrouded by an impending Indian Supreme Court ruling set to determine whether his BCCI tenure extends.