BCCI president Sourav Ganguly replaces Anil Kumble as chairman of ICC Men's Cricket Committee

In what can be called a major announcement, Sourav Ganguly has been appointed as the chairman of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) men’s cricket committee. He replaces his former teammate Anil Kumble, who stepped down after serving the maximum of three three-year terms. Having serving as the BCCI president since 2019, Ganguly is well versed with the administrative role and expectations are pretty high from him.

Meanwhile, ICC confirmed Ganguly’s appointment through a press release on Wednesday (November 17). Having led India to the 2003 World Cup finals, Ganguly is one of the most prominent figures in world cricket. The southpaw is credited India for taking India to great heights both with the bat and his leadership skills. He continued to serve Indian cricket first as the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President and then as BCCI president.

Sourav Ganguly to remain BCCI President

He now has the onus to play a vital role in ICC. “I am delighted to welcome Sourav to the position of Chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee. His experience as one of the world’s best players and latterly as an administrator will help us shape our cricketing decisions moving forward,” ICC chair Greg Barclay said as part of the announcement on Wednesday.

“I would also like to thank Anil for his outstanding leadership over the last nine years which has included improving the international game through more regular and consistent application of DRS (Decision Review System) and a robust process for addressing suspect bowling actions,” he added.

Notably, Ganguly will continue to serve as the BCCI President. Hence, it remains to be seen whether the talismanic cricketer gets indulged in a ‘conflict of interest’ controversy or not. Meanwhile, ICC also announced that the World Test Championship will continue to be played in its current form, the top two teams competing in a final after a league phase across a period of two years.

Meanwhile, the apex cricket body has also formed a working committee to review the status of the Afghanistan Cricket Board following the changes of government in the nation. The four-member group includes Imran Khwaja as chair and Ross McCollum, Lawson Naidoo, and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja.