Image Credit- ICC
A movement is under way to change the International
Cricket Council’s (ICC) constitution in order to reduce the number of members
and increase the chairman’s tenure of office. It is anticipated that the
proposed adjustment will be reviewed at the ICC’s upcoming board meeting in
March.
The chairman’s term would be extended from the
existing two years to three years under the planned modifications, which are
only known to a very small number of ICC members. In addition, future
chairpersons would only be eligible for reelection once, as opposed to their
existing eligibility for three consecutive terms. As it is, one can serve as
chairman for a total of six years, but they would only be chosen twice, not
three times.
This proposed adjustment is thought to be justified by
giving the chairman a longer term, which will allow for a more concentrated
approach to creating policies for the global organisation. A two-year term
might cause the focus to shift from good policymaking to electioneering.
Informal conversations have taken place among the
members, despite the fact that the ICC has not formally commented on the idea
as it has not been tabled. The new regulation might go into force during the
June–July annual meeting if it is adopted.
It’s still unclear, though, if the proposed
modification is meant to help any particular person. Greg Barclay, the current
chairman, will hold the position through November. If approved, it’s unclear if
the modification would go into force right once or if a new chairman will only
be chosen in November.
In 2016, the independent chairman post was created,
and the first elected chairman was Shashank Manohar, a former head of the Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). After that, Manohar was re-elected, and
in 2020, he announced his resignation. This made it possible for Barclay of New
Zealand Cricket to enter as a consensus candidate and win a second two-year
term in 2022.
It is difficult to forecast possible candidates for
the next elections at this early stage. Still, it’s clear that a candidate who
has the backing of BCCI secretary Jay Shah would probably be in the lead for
the job. With Shah and the BCCI’s support, Barclay himself won the job twice.