Greg Barclay has been elected as the new independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), succeeding Shashank Manohar, who stepped down earlier this year. (More News)
Barclay, a director of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) since 2012, secured the all-important 11th vote from Cricket South Africa giving him a 2/3 majority in a 16 member council. Braclay enjoyed the support from big three including Borad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Barclay, it is learnt, had to work hard to waive off Imran Khwaja, who had the blessings of Pakistan Cricket Board. The Kiwi scraped through in the second round, winning the all important 11th vote required to secure the two-thirds mandate in a 16-vote electorate.
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Apart from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were opposing Barclay. Scotland and Ireland too were influenced by Pakistan. But it was South Africa's vote that won it for Barclay. This secret ballot voting has shown the ICC in a poor light and how Khwaja, a Pakistani lawyer based in Singapore, was trying to cling on to power, said source following the developments.
Barclay, an Auckland-based commercial lawyer, was a director of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2015.
Commenting on his appointment Barclay said: "It is an honour to be elected as the Chair of the International Cricket Council and I would like to thank my fellow ICC Directors for their support. I hope we can come together to lead the sport and emerge from the global pandemic in a strong position and poised for growth.
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"I look forward to working in partnership with our Members to strengthen the game in our core markets as well as grow it beyond that ensuring more of the world can enjoy cricket. I take my position as a custodian of the game very seriously and am committed to working on behalf of all 104 ICC Members to create a sustainable future for our sport,” he added.
"I’d like to thank Imran Khwaja for his leadership as acting ICC Chair during a difficult period for the game and I look forward to continuing a close working relationship with him in the future."
