Manohar to stay ICC chief after deferring resignation
Acceding to the request of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board, Shashank Manohar on Friday agreed to defer his resignation from the post of chairman. The ICC said on its website, “In a significant show of support for Mr Manohar, the Board asked him to withdraw his resignation or at the very least defer it until the ongoing process relating to governance and financial restructuring are completed”.
Commenting on the decision Manohar said, “I respect the sentiments expressed by the Directors and the confidence they have reposed in me. In the light of this, and although my decision to depart due to personal reasons has not changed, I am willing to continue as Chairman till the responsibility as per the resolution is complete.
Manohar had resigned from the post on March 15 citing personal reasons. It came in the midst of the ICC ratifying a new constitution that would have been passed in April. Manohar’s U-turn might come as a major setback to the BCCI if they were thinking his exit could help them regain some footing within the ICC after a new financial plan recommended on slashing the Indian board’s income. Manohar was supposedly its mastermind.
Manohar’s decision to stay has found support from the ICC members. “This resolution is a clear indication that whilst the Board may not yet agree on the detail of our reform process, we are committed to the overarching philosophies of it. We all believe that Shashank should be the man to see it through and whilst respectful of a decision made for personal reasons, we are delighted that he has agreed to remain in post until the com- pletion of the 2017 Annual Conference where we can elect a successor,” Cricket Australia chairman David Peever was quoted as saying in the ICC media release.
“It is important that the current issues are resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. We had a productive meeting with Mr Manohar recently (prior to his resignation) wherein we outlined the concerns of BCCI on the financial model and governance issues and our suggestions for resolution. We are committed to working with ICC for a satisfactory resolution of these issues,” said BCCI’s Vikram Limaye.