Time to make a decision - CWI weigh in on controversial ICC election
Published:Wednesday | August 19, 2020 | 12:18 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave believes the process by which the next International Cricket Council chairman (ICC) is elected is irrelevant, as long as the process is agreed on by the directors.
Nearly two months after former chairman Shashank Manohar stepped down after two terms in office, the ICC board of directors has struggled to decide the means by which they will choose their next chairman, with the board divided over whether it should use a two-thirds or a simple majority to determine the new leadership.
Grave insists it’s time the directors come to a decision and select a process, although he believes the cricket world should support the new chairman, whoever he is and whatever means he is elected by.
“The ICC should choose their next chairman by whatever means they deem fit, whether it’s a simple majority or two-thirds. It doesn’t matter as far as I am concerned. The ICC board needs to determine the process as stipulated in their Articles of Association. As long as there is a clear winner, everyone in the world game should get behind the next chairman,” Grave told The Gleaner.
The voting process which will be determined by the 17 ICC directors can also include a secret ballot; however, it is understood that majority of the directors have rejected this method.
“They need to agree on how to select the next chairman and they need to make nominations as to who is going up for the vote. It seems they have made some progress over the last couple board meetings, and I am sure they will agree on a process in the not-too-distant future, and sooner rather than later we will have a new ICC chairperson, and Cricket West Indies will support that chairperson as much as we possibly can,” Grave added.
Former Singapore Cricket Association president and current ICC interim chairman Imran Khwaja; outgoing England Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves; and India Cricket Board of Control president Sourav Ganguly are the main candidates for the vacant post.
ANXIOUSLY WAITING
Former CWI president, Jamaican Dave Cameron, has also declared his intention to run for the post, but Grave is unsure of how he will fare as, like everybody else, he is anxiously waiting for the nominations to be made and for the process to begin.
“They need to make nominations as to who is going up for the vote. I don’t think anyone has said they have nominated anyone. Our former (CWI) president Dave Cameron said he will try to seek nomination or nominations to the position. But I don’t think anyone else has publicly stated that they are going to try and get nominated or anyone has said they are nominating anyone as yet.
“But individual directors must nominate candidates that they think would do well in the position of chairman, then the ICC directors need to endorse it, and then someone needs to be voted in, on what basis, it is up to the ICC board of directors to determine that process,” stated Grave.