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29 March 2024

Howard in dark over ICC leadership snub

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By Staff Writer

Former Australian prime minister John Howard said Wednesday he had not been told why his bid to lead world cricket had been thrown out, saying his rejection set a "bad precedent" if it was because of his politics.

Howard's ambition to head the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is headquartered in Dubai, was scuppered after a revolt by the council's Asian and African members.

A statement from an ICC board meeting in Singapore Wednesday said the right-wing politician's nomination by Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket to serve as president of world cricket's governing body had failed to muster enough backing.

"Even in private discussions they are very reluctant to give a particular reason," Howard told Sky News on Wednesday night. "It's a very unusual situation."
He admitted that it was possible his political past could be the reason.

"That's not been said although it's been widely speculated," he said.

The ICC in Dubai chose not to comment on Howard's reaction to the election setback.

"If it was in some way based on past political positions, well that's a very bad precedent to be establishing."

He said he was now out of politics and didn't have any political agenda in seeking the appointment.

But he would wear it as a "badge of honour" if African members rejected him because of his hardline stance against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe while in office.

"I'm disappointed at the outcome. I wanted to do this job. I thought I could do it well and I would have devoted my full time to it."