Australia and South Africa will not vote for Giles Clarke if "he decides to stand for election as the next chairman of the International Cricket Council," according to Nick Hoult of the London TELEGRAPH. Officials from both Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa have told the England & Wales Cricket Board they "will not be voting for Clarke if he decides to run for the most powerful position in world cricket when it becomes available this summer." The decision by Australia is a "huge blow" for Clarke because they were allies during the restructuring of the ICC two years ago, "which put more power and money in the hands of India, England and Australia." South Africa was "left out in the cold along with seven other Test playing nations so their decision not to support Clarke is hardly a surprise but it does show the battle he will have on his hands to convince countries to vote for him as he looks to win a majority from the 13 member ICC board." When contacted, Clarke "did not confirm his intention to stand and may well decide against it rather than risk the humiliation of losing an election." But if he does "put himself forward he will have to resign from his position as president of the ECB" (TELEGRAPH, 2/1).
REFUSING: In Sydney, Chris Barrett reported CA will "refuse to back" Clarke as the "drums beat louder for the big three's carve-up" of the int'l game to be repealed. Australia's refusal to vote for Clarke "will be seen as the latest sign of a pending shift away from the tripartite rule of the game and the revenue-sharing model that rocked world cricket when it was introduced in 2014." The governance changes "approved nearly two years ago guaranteed the Indian, Australian and English boards three of the five seats on a powerful new executive committee and a higher percentage of ICC revenue than other countries, with India far and away the major beneficiary" with a 22% share. If that framework "was set up in recognition of the majority portion of cricket-generated revenue created in India the positions of those ruling the game's most powerful boards have changed markedly since then." Opposition to the revenue-sharing model "has also gained traction" in India itself, with new Board of Control for Cricket in India President Shashank Manohar on record arguing against the present division of funds, saying, "You cannot make the poor poorer and the rich richer, only because you have the clout" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/1).
