By IANS,
Melbourne: David Morgan, who has just retired as the International Cricket Council (ICC) president Thursday rued the rejection of former Australian prime minister John Howard’s nomination for the vice president’s post.
Only England, Australia and New Zealand supported Howard, thus forcing the ICC to ask Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket(NZC) to withdraw the nomination.
Just over a month ago, Morgan and Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who Thursday replaced the Englishman, jointly urged the 10 voting members to honour the rotational policy.
“Once he (Pawar) had committed not only to support the process but support the candidature of Mr. Howard, I felt fairly confident,” Morgan told The Age.
“It’s a matter of acute disappointment to me that I was unable to persuade the board to support the nomination of Mr. Howard. I think he would have been a very fine vice president and indeed president.”
Howard’s rejection as ICC vice president has left cricket’s governing in turmoil after CA and NZC, which floated Howard’s nomination, were left seething in anger as the strong African and Asian block, including the Indian cricket board, opposed his candidature at the ICC executive board meeting Wednesday.
Australia and New Zealand have been given until the end of August to submit a new nominee, although this has been complicated by Howard’s refusal to withdraw.