Bangladesh Cricket Board on Wednesday named its president AHM Mustafa Kamal as Bangladesh’s candidate for the International Cricket Council vice-president post for the next two years.
The nomination paved the way for Kamal to eventually become ICC chief as the vice-president usually takes over as president of the global cricket oversight body.
According to ICC rotation policy, Bangladesh and Pakistan were to nominate the vice-president for a period of two years from 2012 to 2014.
But during a visit to Dhaka earlier this week Pakistan Cricket Board president Zaka Ashraf said that they had withdrawn their claim in favour of Bangladesh candidate Kamal.
Ashraf was rather criticised for his comments as Bangladesh was yet to name their candidate for the post.
Kamal, a member of parliament from ruling Awami League, who took over as BCB president in 2009, had been facing a challenge from some other party stalwarts, including former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
However, his choice was finally unanimous, said BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus at a news conference after a BCB emergency meeting on Wednesday.
‘We have unanimously chosen AHM Mustafa Kamal as our candidate for the ICC vice-president’s post. We hope his nomination will be approved by the ICC board soon,’ Yunus said. The deadline for nominating the candidate is December 24.
Kamal , who also currently heads the Asian Cricket Council, needs the approval from at least seven Test-playing countries at the Annual General Meeting in June to become ICC vice-president formally.
His name will be placed primarily in the ICC executive committee meeting in January.
Yunus said they will maintain contact with the Test-playing countries to woo support for Kamal as there is already a precedence of ICC board rejecting a candidate.
Two years ago Australia had nominated their former prime minister John Howard to succeed India’s Sharad Pawar, but four Test-playing countries opposed his candidature for the Aussies to backtrack from the choice.
Australia finally gave up their rights allowing New Zealand to nominate Alan Isaac for the post.
If approved, Kamal is expected to take over from Isaac as vice-president in June 2012 and succeed him as ICC president two years later.
Kamal celebrated the news by cutting a cake at the BCB office in the afternoon.
‘My family has brought it here to congratulate me. There was no other celebration,’ an elated Kamal told reporters.
-With New Age input
