ICC Meeting: Chairman Shashank Manohar may agree to extension if elected unopposed

Reuters

 New Delhi/Kolkata: Shashank Manohar's extension as the chairman will be one of the key points of discussion as the member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) meet in Kolkata on Sunday.

Former BCCI president Manohar is ICC's first independent chairman and, in all likelihood, will get an extension during the Annual Conference scheduled in Dublin in June.

According to highly-placed sources, the Nagpur-based advocate will not contest an election and will complete his full term of two years only if he is a unanimous choice.

England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) outgoing chairman Giles Clarke has expressed his interest in the chairman's post but there is a big question mark whether he will be able to garner support.

"To throw his hat in the ring, Clarke will need the support of two full member nations (England excluded). Even if one considers that Pakistan will show their solidarity for his (Clarke) role in getting international teams to play in their country, it will be difficult to get a second vote," a senior BCCI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

For the record, Manohar has never fought an election at any level in his career as cricket administrator.

He has been the president of Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), BCCI (twice) but every time he was chosen unanimously.

From PCB, chairman Najam Sethi will be attending the board meeting and Subhan Ahmed will take part in Chief Executives Meet.

With Pakistan appealing to the ICC's Dispute Resolution Forum against India for allegedly not honouring the MoU to play bilateral series, it might not be a friendly meeting between PCB and BCCI's Amitabh Chaudhary and Rahul Johri.

The other notable discussion will be regarding the fixture of the ICC ODI World Cup in England from May 30 to July 14, 2019. The ICC is expected to release the fixture by April 30 as per the usual convention (releasing fixture one year beforehand).

There will also be discussions about the ICC World XI squad that will take on the West Indies XI in a charity match at the Lord's on May 31. The game is being played to raise funds for the renovation of damaged grounds in the Caribbean.

From India, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma are likely to take part in the event, considering both are currently plying their trade in England in the County Championship. There is no clarity if skipper Virat Kohli or Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be available for the match.

There will also be a women's committee meeting and detailed discussions on fan engagement.