On Friday, ECB announced that Colin Graves has decided to step down from his position as the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman on August 31 following the postponement of ‘The Hundred’. The Hundred is a 100 ball tournament that was ideated by the English Cricket Board. It is now postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic outbreak of the Corona Virus.
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves is likely to replace former BCCI president Shashank Manohar as ICC’s next chairman. Colin Graves is in the leading race and emerged as the favorite for the position.
ALSO READ: Rishabh Pant Reveals How Ganguly Helped Him in 2018
Colin Graves was supposed to step down from his ECB’s in November 2020 after the completion of then scheduled ‘The Hundred’ tournament. However, with the tournament postponed, Graves has decided to end his term early.
Graves said, “The launch of The Hundred is unavoidably moved to 2021. I have reviewed last year’s extension of my term as Chair. I have put a request to the Board to now finish early, on August 31.”
“There is still much to be done as I continue to lead the ECB during this challenging time. As we get closer to August I will look forward to saying my farewells. I will be sharing good wishes to all those I have worked alongside,” he added.
On Wednesday, The ECB Board unanimously decided on Watmore’s appointment as the next chairperson. Ian Watmore will replace Graves as chairman after being ratified in the AGM at the end of the month. The AGM was expected to be on May 12. However, it was rescheduled until the end of the month due to the spread of the Corona Virus.
ALSO READ: Surrey Cancels D’Arcy Short and Shadab Khan’s Contracts Amid Corona
“It feels important to both the game and the ECB Board, to allow Ian Watmore to commence his role earlier than originally agreed. I have no doubt that his wealth of experience will be invaluable as we navigate through this crisis. There remains a long road ahead, but I have immense confidence in the excellent leadership of Tom Harrison, our Executive Management Team, and the ECB Board as they shape the direction of our response to COVID-19,” Graves said.
