ECB Chairman Set For Re-election Battle

After a turbulent year for the England and Wales Cricket Board, chairman Giles Clarke is likely to face stiff competition for his post as he seeks re-election for a second term of office.

With the nomination process now open ahead of a vote in two weeks’ time, Clarke’s opponents have allegedly been eyeing possible candidates in the business world to replace the incumbent with Sir Christopher Gent, the former chairman of Vodafone, and Nigel Wray, the businessman who owns Saracens rugby union club, amongst the names linked to the role.

Though still deemed the favourite to retain the chairmanship, Clarke has had a controversial term as chairman since he narrowly beat out Mike Soper two years ago for the position, which included a widely criticised deal with Sir Allen Stanford and a longstanding dispute with the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI).

Following the multi-million dollar deal with Stanford, which initially led to calls for Clarke to resign, recent speculation has surfaced regarding the Texan billionaire’s possible early pullout of the five-year agreement.

The status of the Stanford-ECB deal still remains uncertain but any early pullout by Stanford would be a dagger to the heart of Clarke’s re-election ambitions.

Clarke also faced a rocky relationship with the Indian Cricket Board over England player release for the second season of the IPL with the two governing bodies have only recently started making progress toward a compromise.

Involvement in new Twenty20 competitions such as the inaugural Champions League have also led to controversy with the initial tournament in India cancelled due to security concerns.

Additionally the loss of principal England team sponsor Vodafone has left the governing body in a tricky situation seeking a replacement backer during an economic recession.

Despite the issues Clarke has faced during his tenure, he is being credited by his supporters for striking the £300m deal with Sky despite the credit crunch as well as pushing for the England-India Test matches to continue after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Media have speculated that Clarke has the support of smaller counties that have recently benefited from cash handouts from the ECB. The larger counties, however, such as Lancashire, Surrey and Hampshire, are allegedly against the current chairman.