New Delhi: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been appointed as the chair of the ICC men’s cricket committee, replacing his team mate Anil Kumble, who has completed nine years at the post of the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced in a press release on Wednesday.
Kumble stepped down from the role after having served the maximum of three three-year terms.”I am delighted to welcome Sourav to the position of Chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee,” ICC chair Greg Barclay said as part of the announcement on Wednesday.
Back in 2012, Kumble was appointed by the game’s governing body, replacing West Indies’ legend Clive Lloyd. Then in 2016, Kumble was re-elected for a second term. Then in March 2019, he was reappointed for a third and final three-year term as the ICC’s technical committee chairman.
“His experience as one of the world’s best players and latterly as an administrator will help us shape our cricketing decisions moving forward. I would also like to thank Anil for his outstanding leadership over the last nine years which has included improving the international game through more regular and consistent application of DRS and a robust process for addressing suspect bowling actions.” Barclay added.
The ICC on Tuesday also formed a Working Group to review the status of cricket in Afghanistan after the recent governmental changes in the country. Imran Khwaja has been named Chairman of the Group which includes Ross McCollum, Lawson Naidoo, and Ramiz Raja.
“The ICC Board is committed to continuing to support Afghanistan Cricket to develop both men’s and women’s cricket moving forward. We believe the most effective way for this to happen will be to support our Member in its efforts to achieve this through its relationship with the new government,” Barclay said.
“Cricket is fortunate to be in the position to influence positive change in Afghanistan with the national men’s team a source of great pride and unity in a country with a young population that has experienced more upheaval and change than most. We should protect that status and continue to try to influence change through the ACB but will continue to closely monitor the situation and take any decisions accordingly,” he added.
In another development the Board have also decided to continue with the current nine team and the existing format of the World Test Championship (WTC). However, the number of participating teams in the ODI World Cup has increased to 14 for the 2027 edition of the ICC mega event. The governing body has decided that the top 10 teams in the ICC rankings will qualify automatically for the tournament, whereas the other teams will have to go through a qualifier round.
