Mubashir Usmani, the general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, has made a strong comeback by leading the Associate Member Board elections with 23 votes for one of the three Associate positions.
The other two elected members were Imran Khawaja from Singapore, with 20 votes, and Mahinda Vallipuram, who secured 13 votes. The election had 11 candidates vying for the votes of 45 Associate Members. The elected members will serve a two-year term on the ICC Board.
A notable loser in this election was Pankaj Khimji, the esteemed head of Oman Cricket, who was one of the three incumbents alongside Neil Speight of Bermuda and Khawaja. Khimji had recently been in the news for requesting an investigation into the expenses of the T20 World Cup games held in New York.
Usmani's victory was surprising given his previous loss in the same election two years ago. Despite this, the UAE cricket head, with his roots in Mumbai, was always a formidable candidate, especially due to his involvement in the IL T20 franchise league, which mandates the inclusion of Associate players in team XIs.
The election for the Associate Member Director positions took place during the ICC's five-day annual conference. Other candidates included Sam Arthur (Costa Rica), Dr. Rudie Van Vuuren (Namibia), Sankar Renganathan (Sierra Leone), Gurumurthy Palani (France), Stephen Musaele (Rwanda), Mahmood Gaznavi (Singapore), along with the sitting members Neil Speight (Bermuda) and Pankaj Khimji (Oman).
Usmani also holds a position as a two-time member of the Chief Executives Committee (CEC), representing the Associate Members.
Potential Action Against USA Cricket
During the ICC's annual conference in Colombo, there are considerations to place USA Cricket (USAC) under notice suspension for failing to comply with the ICC Associate Member protocols. The reasons cited include the lack of recognition by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the absence of a CEO.
ICC officials mentioned that any action against USAC is at the Board's discretion. USAC head Venu Piskie claimed to be unaware of any impending action against the association. The USA remains a priority region for the ICC, which has successfully advocated for cricket's inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.