
Imran Khwaja is still on board ICC. (Photo by Steve Bardens-ICC / ICC via Getty Images)
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One month after losing a controversial chairman’s election, Imran Khwaja has held his position on the board of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a landslide impact in the Associated Ball Leaders contest.
Singapore easily topped the top eight with 34 votes to ensure he retains his position as Associates chairman. Former teammate Mahinda Vallipuram was re-elected by 19 votes, while Neil Speight (16) from Bermuda returned to the board in a nail-biting result.
Speight, who currently sits on the important Committee of Chief Executives (CEC) as Associate Representative, Pankaj Khimji (15), Mark Stafford (14), Tony Tony (13), U.S. cricket representative Sushil Nadkarni (10 votes) and Professor Adam Ukwenya (8).
Eyes were raised at the shocking bid of Nadkarni, a former U.S. cricket captain, believed to have run an offensive campaign. His tally was enough to provoke a bit of controversy in the vote and influence the final results, according to sources.
Stafford, president of the Vanuatu Cricket Association, was considered one of the top players but fell short, while Brian seemed to suffer because he did not vote for Khwaja in the chairmanship election.
Although Vallipuram, who had also received a slight blow for not voting for Khwaja, was in a strong show that surprised some intellectuals.

Mahinda Vallipuram (R) was re-elected. (Photo by Francois Nel-IDI / IDI via Getty Images)
IDI 2018
“It’s great to be back on the board and I’m really looking forward to working with Imran and Neil, who both have a wealth of experience and knowledge,” Vallipuram told me.
“The world of Associates has spoken and there is a lot of work to be done, especially how we can move cricket forward during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The competition was held through a secret ‘weighted’ ballot voting system, where voters from 40 Participating Members and five Regional Representatives (America, Asia, Europe, East Pacific and Africa) selected three candidates by choice.
Newly elected directors receive two-year terms.
The controversial battle for the prestigious ICC board positions went under the radar but many behind-the-scenes politicians stressed the promises. And a power shift has been on the table since then with Speight strongly supporting Khwaja, who lost the chairmanship to Greg Barclay and suffered from the takeover of India’s powerful ruling body .

Neil Speight (L) is back on the board. (Photo by Francois Nel / Getty Images)
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The board has for some time been philosophically divided about how many ICC events should be played over the next cycle of 2023-31 – the main topic that controlled the chair election.
Khwaja is a proponent of the ICC’s bid to increase the number of events to eight generating more money for a cricket regulatory body and providing greater revenue distribution, which would help full-fledged countries less and the Associates.
Financial security is considered particularly important by some prospective bankrupts who may have broken as a result of the pandemic.
But India along with the other major nations of England and Australia prefer more space in the calendar to allow for a two-pronged series – especially among themselves – that is appropriate for their finances. The so-called ‘Big Three’ prefers six ICC events, according to sources.
The issue on the ICC agenda for their meeting on Monday with ‘ambush’ is not considered unlikely. But it could be taken out at a meeting in March, according to sources, with cricket guidance after 2023 desperately needing to be resolved.
Resolutions of a majority of 2/3 of the three must pass through ie 12 out of 17 votes. Khwaja supporters – and those who share his views philosophically – include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, independent female leader Indra Nooyi and now Speight, according to sources.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the West Indies and South Africa had a wave between the candidates at the time of the presidential election, sources say.
The important issue again seems to be seeing much of the same movement and trade-offs with some board members fearing a return of the “gutless politics” that fought competition. chairman.

There is much debate about the number of ICC events played in the 2023-31 cycle. (Photo by Gareth … [+]
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And the shenanigans campaign is not over yet. The vice-chairman is unlikely to be questioned until March with Khwaja in the meantime maintaining his previous post under chairman Shashank Manohar. Khwaja and Indian leader Sourav Ganguly are seen as the main controversies, according to sources, but their desire to run is unknown.
Speight’s rise to the table opens up a position on the CEC with some of the major Associates countries, including the Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea and the interested U.S., according to sources.
The CEC is often seen as a stepping stone to get on board the ICC – which was eventually created after months of stone walls and innuendo.
But much uncertainty remains.