Aided By India’s Power And Politicking, Greg Barclay Is Closing In On Becoming Cricket’s Top Boss

Fueled by mighty India’s furious politicking behind the scenes, New Zealand’s Greg Barclay is close to becoming cricket’s new chairperson but will still need to sway at least one Imran Khwaja backer as the second round of voting gets underway.

Sources have told me that Barclay, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chairman, emerged with a 9-6 edge in the first round of voting held this week. One voter abstained – although it is unclear if it was intentional or a mistake. Under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) constitution, a two-third majority will be needed – meaning 11 out of 16 votes is required.

The contest is being held through a secret ballot but – as I first reported last month – if a winner is not determined after three attempts then interim chair Khwaja will automatically stay in the role for a 12-month period. An ICC governance review would need to be undertaken to go through the election process.

The second round of voting started on Thursday and finishes on Sunday before being overseen by the independent chair of the audit committee. The result is expected by early next week.

Just a few weeks ago, the candidates appeared to split the votes but Barclay has edged ahead due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) intense lobbying behind the scenes, according to sources.

Barclay, who is also the chairman of the International Rugby League, emerged recently as the “compromise candidate” – as dubbed in the Indian media – of the ‘big three’ of India, England and Australia which pushed the much derided power grab and skewed financial distribution formula in 2014. 

The mistrust from that coup has lingered on the board and there is a widespread belief that the chairperson should be completely independent, which is a strong selling point for the Singaporean who is striving to be the first ICC leader from outside the Full Member nations – the 12 elite countries in cricket’s tiered system

Under former chairperson Shashank Manohar and Khwaja’s leadership, the ICC had initiated a more inclusive approach and somewhat diminished the heft of the ‘big three’. But, according to sources, the BCCI wants to regain control and have dangled carrots to board members, many of whom are worried about the financial toll for cricket during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The blowtorch has been applied by the BCCI with the type of political shenanigans somewhat reminiscent of the farce currently engulfing the U.S. A prime example, according to sources, was pressure being applied to the status of an ODI series between India and South Africa set to be played in India late next year.

Cricket South Africa, which has been in tumult recently, has been wavering between the two candidates and their selection could ultimately determine the final result. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and independent female director Indra Nooyi have been supporting Khwaja, according to sources.

Khwaja is almost certain not to be able to gain a two-third majority but can cling onto the chair with two more deadlocks. The BCCI don’t have a personal vendetta against him, according to sources, but want more bilateral series which suits their financial model.

The 64-year-old is an advocate of increasing the number of ICC events in an effort to spread the revenue and help smaller Full Member nations and the Associates. The pragmatic Khwaja has done the hard yards through being a long-time presence on ICC boards and committees.

His backers believe he has the “integrity” needed to safeguard cricket through a tumultuous period, where the ICC is expected to work through progressive reform to address financial inequity among nations – with fears rising for the future of smaller cricket countries due to the pandemic.

However, there are some on the board who believe Khwaja should have announced his intentions earlier having been publicly linked with the candidacy in February. They believe the former Singapore Cricket Association president would have had a better chance if he had done so.

It’s a matter of hindsight now but the uncertainty and the dragging of the election process provided enough time for the BCCI to find an appealing candidate in Barclay, who came out of left field.

Barclay has been praised for his leadership of NZC underlined by the continual success of the men’s national team, who came within inches of being World Cup champions last year. NZC, however, did not oppose the unpopular power moves of the ‘big three’ in 2014. 

Skepticism, however, remains whether the unassuming Barclay has the gravitas to stand up to the BCCI.

Elections for deputy chair and the three Associates positions are set to be contested in the aftermath of this increasingly bitter battle for cricket’s top job.