Keen Pawar moves to win over SA vote

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants Ray Mali, the president of Cricket South Africa (CSA), to fill the ICC president’s post that has fallen vacant after Percy Sonn’s death. The BCCI has already conveyed its sentiments in this regard to the world body.
BCCI president Sharad Pawar has ruled himself out of the ICC president’s post for now as he feels that the vacant post should go to a South African.
The BCCI’s logic is simple. As Sonn’s two-year tenure remains incomplete, the post should go to another South African office-bearer as Sonn was a CSA nominee. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also feels the same and agreed on the move at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week.
But when it comes to Pawar-play, everything is not as simple as it may sound. For, Pawar nominating Mali as acting president is nothing but a smart move from the wily politician.
That Pawar is keen to occupy the top post in the ICC is very evident. However, for that he needs the support of seven of the 10 full members, apart from a simple majority support from all associate and affiliate members. As of now he has the backing of the Asian bloc - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - and Zimbabwe.
When Pawar had earlier been pitted as a candidate to succeed Sonn against England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief David Morgan, the ICC nominations committee was split when it was put to vote, prompting them to extend Sonn’s tenure till 2009.
Though South Africa voted for Morgan in the nominations committee, the BCCI feels that the South African vote could be won over when Pawar finally bids for the ICC top post. In that sense, the Pawar move to nominate Mali’s name as the acting president is nothing but a smart political ploy.
Moreover, sources also reveal that the BCCI’s move to replace Australia with South Africa for the ODI series in Ireland later this month is another move to appease CSA, which stands to gain $3m as guarantee money for three matches.
Sonn, a former South African board chairman, died on May 27 after developing complications from a colon operation in Cape Town. The ICC is expected to name the acting president soon. Apart from Mali, New Zealand Cricket’s John Anderson is another name that’s doing the rounds.