Howard’s bid cancelled by ICC
Howard’s career as a cricket administrator reached an end before it was even allowed to begin after losing the one-man raffle at the Raffles convention centre, Singapore. Howard got a big “no” from a group of Asian and African members for the ICC vice-president post. Seven out of ten ICC board members refused to support his candidature as deputy of ICC President Sharad Pawar.
From a board consisting of ten cricketing nations, seven votes were needed to close Howard’s bid, and the opposition got the due votes with only Australia, New Zealand and England backing Howard’s candidature.
Howard was the joint nomination of Cricket Australia and (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC). The International Cricket Council has asked Australia and New Zealand to come up with another vice-presidency candidate by August 31.
The ICC in a statement said: "Following lengthy consideration it was recognised that the nomination put forward by Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket did not have sufficient support within the ICC board".
Reliable sources revealed that Cricket Australia is seriously considering Howard as its nomination once again regardless of his swift rejection in the ICC's executive board meeting at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore.
Chairman of Cricket Australia Jack Clarke and his NZC counterpart Alan Isaac expressed their deep disappointment in a joint statement. They said that they had nominated "the best possible candidate" as Howard has got significant leadership and managerial capabilities. Both the officials said that they believe in dispassionate independence in global governance for the betterment of the game of cricket.
The ICC has a region-based referral system for the ICC presidency. It was Australia and New Zealand’s turn to name a candidate for the next vice-president of ICC. Cricket Australia in collaboration with New Zealand cricket nominated former Australian Prime Minister Mr. John Howard. But for the first time in ICC’s history, a regional nomination for the ICC's vice-presidency faced an unprecedented political rift by the voting members of the council specifically African countries.
The move against his nomination was brought up by the South African Cricket board followed by Zimbabwe. Initial rumblings in April from African cricketing nations became got the alliance of Asia as well when India together with their subcontinent neighbours signed a letter opposing Howard's candidacy on Tuesday night.
It is believed that the step taken by the six board members by signing the letter in Howard’s opposition was an attempt to compel Howard to pull out his bid before the meeting. Yet Howard remained in the race unless he got a big “no” from the member countries on Thursday, 30th June.
Confirmation of Howard’s nomination was expected in the April-May executive board meetings. However no proper discussion was carried out in those meetings as the ash clouds due to volcanic explosion in Iceland disturbed the travel plans of several delegates of member countries. Later on the a strong informal resistance on Howard’s bid was brought up by south Africa outside the board’s meeting that was followed by Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
Howard during his 11-year term as Australian prime minister remained critical of Robert Mugabe's regime. He also banned his men from touring Zimbabwe in 2007. Howard got the Lankan rivalry when he criticized the bowling action of Sri Lanka’s magical spinner Muttiah Muralitharan calling him a “Chuckle”.
With South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka already opposing the nomination, Howard’s chances to be vice-president of ICC further dimmed when India turned from him, as Pakistan and Bangladesh were expected to have followed the powerful cricketing neighbour. Howard, in an attempt to smooth relations with the political rival, visited officials of Zimbabwe cricket board last week, but the effort remained unsuccessful.
Howard’s rejection has left the future of the vacant position of ICC vice-president uncertain, though there are rumours that Anderson might be proposed as a more suitable candidate.
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