With the cricket boards of South Africa and Zimbabawe rejecting the nomination of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the ICC vice-president’s post, pressure is mounting on India to take a stand one way or the other.
According to Dubai-based sources, Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and England and Wales Cricket Board have put pressure on Pawar to ensure that Howard’s nomination is not rejected.
“If Howard’s nomination, put forward jointly by CA and NZC, is not acceptable by few cricket boards namely Cricket South Africa and Zimbabwe Cricket, it may be perhaps for the first time in the ICC’s history, there could be a vote to not allow Pawar to become the president next month,” a source said.
South Africa and Zimbabwe are leading a move to prevent Howard from being nominated to a post from where he will, in two years time, graduate to heading the ICC.
ICC president David Morgan is scheduled on Thursday to meet Sharad Pawar, who takes over the presidency next month, and is expected to convey the wishes of the several board directors.
Pawar is understood to have been unhappy with the nomination of another politician, that too, of the stature of Howard.
Howard has preferred to stay mum over the possible rejection of his nomination. “Howard is not making any comments on the matter,” his secretary Ruth Gibson said from Sydney.
Lanka blow for Howard
Howard’s dreams of becoming ICC president in 2012 received another blow with Sri Lanka joining Zimbabwe and South Africa in resisting his nomination.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee chairman Somachandra de Silva said SLC would not support anyone without a cricket background.