Manohar may extend stay if elected unopposed

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 for its quarterly meeting starting Sunday.

As ICC’s first independent chairman Manohar, 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 doubt 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 said on the condition of anonymity.

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.