Chris Nenzani downplays Graeme Smith’s comment of supporting Sourav Ganguly for ICC role

05/23/2020

Cricket South Africa President Chris Nenzani has stated that the CSA chairman, as the ICC Director, will exercise his nominations to support the candidature of ICC Chairman. Earlier, Graeme Smith has publicly backed Sourav Ganguly to become the ICC President after his BCCI tenure ends.

After Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president and the first independent chairman of the ICC, stated that he would not stand for another term after his tenure ends with the ICC annual conference in July, the position was touted to go to ECB chairman Colin Graves. However, thanks to the Lodha recommendations, which might see Ganguly entering the cooling-off period from the BCCI role by next July, there have been speculations that the BCCI might push Ganguly to the ICC so as to keep him active in cricket administration.

Amidst that, Cricket South Africa Director of Cricket Graeme Smith and acting chief executive Jacques Faul were clear about their support for Ganguly should the former India captain contest the ICC chairman elections. However, CSA president Nenzani said that the board will take a decision based on both ICC and its own protocol, and decide which candidate to back.

“We must respect both the ICC protocol and our own protocol in deciding which candidate to back. There have been no candidates nominated as yet and once such nominations have been made the Board of CSA will take its decision in terms of its own protocol and give the chairman the mandate to exercise his vote as an ICC Board Director accordingly,” said CSA president Chris Nenzani in a statement, reported PTI.

The election for the post will happen after the Cricket Conference in July and the new Chairman might take over in early August.