Manohar set to complete full term as ICC chairman

THE UNCERTAINTY looming large over Shashank Manohar's tenure as ICC chairman ended on Wednesday after the former BCCI president made it clear that he will complete his term which runs till June 2018. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed Shashank Manohar will continue to function as the Independent Chairman of ICC until the end of his elected term which is June 2018,” ICC stated.

Last March, Manohar had decided to step down from chairman's post citing “personal reasons” only to be persuaded by the ICC directors--both Full Members and Associates—to stay.

According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, Manohar has once again been persuaded by similarlyoverwhelmingsupportfromacollectionoffullmembers,whowerekeenforhimto finish the process of reforms he has begun. Initially, Manohar wanted to stay only till ICC Annual Conference in June this year but very recently he has had a change of heart. The Nagpur lawyer now has a strong ground after both the proposed new revenue and governance models received overwhelming support. BCCI were outvoted 1-13 on revenue model and 2-12 on governance model when it was put to floor test during an ICC Board meeting in Dubai.

The only obstruction came from the BCCI, who have lost support in the global cricket body. The BCCI brass believes that it is because of Manohar, the richest cricket body has missed out a significant portion of the revenue pie.the BCCI was the only board to oppose the new financial model and was one of the two that voted against a revised constitution, which will allow the ICC to include additional full members in the future.

The decisions will have to be ratified at the ICC'S annual conference in June. According to BCCI'S Committee of Administrators (COA), the governance model is a bigger cause of concern rather than revenue model. As per the website, Manohar completing his full term also puts paid to the hopes ECB president Giles Clarke, who was also eyeing the independent chairman's post.

Manohar had decided to step down in March citing personal reasons.