ICC to hold annual conference in Colombo in July

The annual conference of the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be held in Colombo. Exact dates for the annual conclave have not been finalised, but it is likely to be in the third week of July. It will be immediately followed by the Twenty20 World Cup (in June in the US and West Indies).

It is obvious that the ICC managers will take stock of the World Cup in the two regions, particularly the US, which has been a cause of major headaches for the global administrators. An important decision on USA Cricket is likely at the annual conference.

Another point of discussion could be a change in term for the chairman. There is a plan to expand the chairman’s tenure to three years from the existing two years and cut the number of permitted terms from three to two. More important than the tenure, clarity may emerge on who will be the next chairman.

Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is a potential candidate, and informed sources in the BCCI do not deny the possibility of Shah throwing his hat into the ring. But Shah himself is not opening up his cards and has kept everyone guessing. Greg Barclay of New Zealand is the incumbent.