When Sourav Ganguly was elected BCCI President, he came in with a contract of just 9 months. Ganguly shrugged at that time limit; he instead focused on wanting to bring about massive change to Indian cricket within that time span. However, his plans were interrupted with COVID-19 shutting down all forms of international and domestic cricket.
Sourav Ganguly Turns His Attention To ICC Chairman Role
Sourav Ganguly has not had much to do since March 2020; that does not mean he and the BCCI have not been meticulously planning behind the scenes. Some of those plans have now emerged. It appears that Ganguly has set his sights on becoming the next ICC Chairman; and he has the support of the BCCI.
The current ICC Chairman is Shashank Manohar, whose second term ends in July. Manohar replaced former BCCI President N Srinivasan in 2016. He also had the opportunity to stand in for a third term based on the ICC constitution.
Some expected Manohar to stay for a third term and help international cricket recover from the covid-19 pandemic but it appears Manohar has other plans. He did not reveal what those plans were or why he has decided not to stick around.
The BCCI has put Ganguly’s name forward for the new role and that comes as a surprise as many believed that Colin Graves, ECB Chairman was the next man in line for the role. However with the BCCI pulling the strings, it looks like Ganguly will pass Graves.
Graeme Smith and David Gower Back Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly will go down in Indian cricket as one of the most successful and respected captains. He now has another opportunity to make a massive impression on global cricket by stepping into the role of the new ICC President.
Ganguly not only has the backing of the BCCI but other cricket boards and big names. Cricket South Africa (CSA) director of cricket Graeme Smith has come out in support of Ganguly saying that he is the best man for the job as international cricket needed strong leadership at the top and Ganguly was the best candidate for the job.
He also received support from former England captain David Gower who felt that Ganguly has done a great job with the BCCI so far and has that deft touch required to be the ICC Chairman. Gower said you need great political skills in the ICC Chairman role but also said that it was an interesting choice for Ganguly because the ICC Chairman role had more honour but the BCCI Chairman role had more power.
ICC Chairman Voting Process In July
There are some requirements a candidate must meet in order to be eligible. The candidate must have been or currently be an ICC Director. The ICC Board has a total of 15 ICC Directors; each individual attends ICC Board Meetings as a representative for their individual country.
These ICC Board members will each have to nominate one name for the ICC Chairman role. Candidates who end up getting 2 or more votes, will be able to stand for the election. The voting process is scheduled to take place in July 2020 after the ICC annual conference takes place.
The BCCI is already reaching out to the 15 ICC directors and member nations; and asking them to back Ganguly. Given their financial clout, it is hard not to see the Bengal Tiger getting the majority vote and becoming the next ICC Chairman in July.
