Isaac to take over as ICC prez from Pawar at annual conference

MUMBAI: The five day ICC Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur will see a change of guard in the top hierarchy of the game?s world governing body with Sharad Pawar making way for New Zealand?s Alan Isaac to take charge as president.

Pawar, who completes his two-year term at the end of the week, was the second Indian after Jagmohan Dalmiya to take a shot at the post. During his tenure, he oversaw the successful organising of the 2011 ICC World Cup in the sub-continent.

The conference, which begins 24 June, will also see incumbent Haroon Lorgat stepping down as the chief executive of the ICC. Lorgat was appointed chief executive of the ICC in April 2008 succeeding Malcolm Speed, an Australian.

The ICC Annual Conference will begin with the Chief Executives? Committee (CEC) meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and ends on 28 June with the inauguration of the eighth ICC President, Alan Isaac, at the Annual Conference.

The ICC Council, at its meeting on 28 June, will be asked to approve amendments to the ICC Articles which will create the post of Chairman from June 2014 with the President?s role being ambassadorial from that date onwards, the ICC said in a statement.

David Richardson has been selected as the chief executive of ICC, his appointment requires confirmation from the CEC. Prior to being appointed as the chief executive, Richardson served ICC as GM of Cricket.

The ICC Associate and Affiliate Members meeting on 25 June will elect their three representatives to serve two-year terms on the ICC Board, the statement added.

On the agenda of the CEC meeting are recommendations from the ICC Cricket Committee which include the reaffirmation of the universal application of the Decision Review System (DRS), minor enhancements to the 50-over format and, importantly, discussions on the protection and promotion of international cricket within a changed landscape that is showing a growing number of domestic professional T20 leagues.

The ICC Board, which will meet on 26 and 27 June, will receive various reports and recommendations emanating from Board sub-committees and the CEC.

Among these will be the annual report from the chairman of ACSU, membership issues including applications for ICC Affiliate Membership from Russia and Hungary.

The Board will also continue its discussions, which have been ongoing since the last meeting among the directors and Members, on the Woolf report and further consider the strategies being developed to protect and promote all three formats of the game at the international level.