The Telegraph Calcutta
22 June 2010
By Lokendra Pratap Sahi
Calcutta: The pro-John Howard lobby in the International Cricket Council (ICC) is convinced that Zimbabwe will break ranks and end its opposition to the former Australia Prime Minister’s nomination as the next vice-president of the world body.
Sharad Pawar’s successor in the No.2 position will also succeed him as the ICC president, in 2012.
Pawar’s elevation is just days away.
According to The Telegraph’s sources, Howard’s backers are confident that Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Peter Chingoka has been “won over†by outgoing ICC president David Morgan. This also follows a meeting between Zimbabwe Sports Minister David Coltart and Cricket Australia.
“Chingoka has been assured of Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket, possibly in May next year, with a home series against Bangladesh… In return, ZC is to back off from opposing Howard,†is how one source put it.
Zimbabwe’s last Test (against India, incidentally) was in September 2005, the series which saw the infamous spat between Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell.
Nobody from ZC was available for a comment, till late on Monday, but the head of one of the boards against Howard’s nomination said it was “unlikely†that Chingoka would go along with a minority group.
“Look, ZC can’t disregard the sentiments of India, South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh… In fact, there’s reason to believe that Pakistan, too, will sit on the same side as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,†the gentleman maintained.
Apparently, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt is “opposed†to a politician, who hasn’t held any office in his own board, “hijacking†cricket’s No.1 position.
Pawar’s case is, of course, very different as he’s been associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India for a decade.
Butt, one learns, will go along with the “consensus†reached (within Asia) before the ICC’s annual conference, in Singapore, from June 27-July 1.
The region’s Big Four are expected to meet before the annual conference gets underway.
Butt, by the way, is the outgoing head of the Asian Cricket Council and it’s Bangladesh’s turn next to have their man at the top.
Howard is Australia-New Zealand’s nominee and, had things gone according to schedule, the ICC’s Executive Board would have approved his nomination in April itself.
Nobody went on record, but till the Zimbabwe ‘development’, Howard wasn’t exactly assured even of England’s support.
England isn’t a big player, though. Indeed, to make it, Howard has to have India’s endorsement.
Major decisions require the approval of seven of the 10 Test-playing nations, all of whom have seats on the Executive Board.