Shashank Manohar as ICC chief has critics at home

Chennai: Within two days of resigning as president of the BCCI and chairman of the ICC, Shashank Manohar was elected unopposed Thursday as the first independent chairman of ICC to serve a two-year term. His appointment upholds BCCI’s preeminent position in the administration of world cricket.

However, Mr Manohar’s manoeuvres to land the plum new job have had their critics in the country, ranging from a former president and ICC chairman as well as the bitterest critic of BCCI in Aditya Varma who fought the cricket board in the top court and brought it to its knees in front of the Justice Lodha committee.

Mr Manohar’s deft moves once he became president of BCCI as a reformist and former head honcho who could help clean up the board, the game in India and its plunging image in the wake of the IPL betting scandal have not endeared him to the cricket community at home. However, most are keeping silent on the issue as an Indian still heads the world federation and it should be advantage BCCI.

It was explained in a PIL, which was actually a proxy litigation in the Madras high court, that BCCI is renouncing around Rs 3,400 in the next eight years thanks to equitable sharing of ICC revenues mooted by reformer Mr Manohar.