Why Imran Khwaja Should Be Cricket’s Top Boss

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is in flux. Three months after Shashank Manohar departed as chairperson, his successor is still unknown. Even worse, the process to finalize a nomination route for the chairperson has dragged on interminably with an election date still unknown.  

The ICC’s board – recently described to me by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani as having a “huge problem of conflict of interest”– has failed to reach a consensus on the process with bickering centered on whether to stick with a two-third majority needed or revert to a simple majority.

Even in these uncertain times things feel back to normal when a fractured ICC is unable to agree on even the most basic of issues. The next ICC meeting is still unknown with the Covid-19 pandemic prompting a halt to in-person meetings and, presumably, exacerbating the stonewalling.

There has been no official candidates apart from brash ex-Cricket West Indies boss Dave Cameron raising his hand but his grandstanding is unlikely to materialize into anything of substance. Recently departed England boss Colin Graves had been touted as the frontrunner but his potential candidacy is nosediving with support amongst board members tepid, according to sources.

Under current rules, a nominee for chairperson has to be either a past or present director making the potential list of candidates shallow. All eyes are inevitably on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is keen to regain its almighty heft after the more egalitarian approach favored by Manohar whose two-term tenure was marked by loosening the stranglehold of India’s governing body – who he had previously led.

Current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has been bandied around publicly but the former India captain’s candidacy is currently shrouded by an impending Indian Supreme Court ruling set to determine whether his BCCI tenure extends.  

Some insiders believe that Ganguly would prefer continuing running Indian cricket – a role he would have to resign from if he became chairperson. Manohar was the first ‘independent’ chairman of the ICC.

While former BCCI president N. Srinivasan, who was the ICC’s boss when it pushed the much-derided ‘Big Three’ power grab and skewed financial distribution formula in 2014, is eyeing a return to the role.

The interim chairperson is former Singapore Cricket Association president Imran Khwaja, whose intentions are unknown but he has strong support within the board although the influential BCCI could prove a thorn.

It is believed that Khwaja enjoyed a solid working relationship with the BCCI as Manohar’s deputy but there appears to be at least some reluctance from India’s governing body over someone not from a Full Member – the elite 12 cricket countries – ascending to the top. It is worth noting there has been probing into Khwaja’s credentials by the Indian media.

Politicking aside – fanciful, of course – 64-year-old Khwaja appears the safest person to lead the ICC through such a tumultuous period, one that will shape the sport for the next generation. The pragmatic Khwaja has done the hard yards through being a long-time presence on ICC boards and committees.

He’s well respected and liked testament to running unopposed for deputy chairperson twice previously. The softly spoken Khwaja has the characteristics to help lead cricket through the pandemic’s wrath.

Sources recently told me that cricket’s financial toll from the pandemic has not been completely felt with the pain set to intensify next year. Administrators are bracing for the grim prospect that some governing bodies from smaller nations may become close to insolvent if the situation does deteriorate further. 

It will be a hotbed for the new chairperson to enter. You would hope that person has integrity and independence. Being from outside the Full Members makes Khawaja a standout, perhaps the only viable candidate.

As Mani recently expressed to me, someone from cricket’s ‘big three’ – India, England and Australia – once again ascending to the top feels too compromised. The legacy that they left behind from their coup in 2014 is one of complete mistrust. That lack of trust and confidence means there is no widespread appetite on the board to appoint someone from those nations, according to sources.

Support has deepened within the ICC for progressive reform to address financial inequity among nations. A new financial model – under potential sweeping constitutional changes – is mooted to be in the works but the chairperson will have to champion this.

Without the type of baggage dogging other potential candidates, Khwaja should have the rigmarole to usher a more inclusive era – one that rids itself of cricket’s most powerful nations gobbling up the major ICC events in the current 2015-23 cycle and enjoying the associated financial windfalls.

Negotiations haven’t commenced for the 2023-31 cycle of events but under Manohar and Khwaja’s leadership there had been a concerted push for cricket’s showpiece events to start being spread around. USA and West Indies are the frontrunners to co-host either the 2026 or 2030 T20 World Cup, while Malaysia has expressed interest in bidding for a major tournament.

There will also be the need for the new chairperson to correct the embarrassing blunder of the ICC reverting to measly 10-team World Cups in 2019 and 2023 due to India’s sway – and their fingerprints are all over the stonewalling around cricket’s bid to belatedly become an Olympic sport.

There has been momentum behind getting cricket into the LA Games and onto the biggest stage in sports. Importantly, Olympics prestige would help smaller cricket nations seek financial support from governments. But India – and to a lesser extent England – have been reticent, according to sources, underlining the importance of the new chairperson being able to stand their ground.  

It is undoubtedly a critical upcoming period for cricket and effective leadership from the top will be crucial in ensuring that the sport is thriving worldwide – and not just merely the powerful becoming wealthier.

Perhaps it needs someone from beyond cricket’s heartland to shake things up.

A litigation lawyer from Singapore might just do the trick.