Ehsan Mani was introduced to the cricketing world back in 1989 as the Pakistan Cricket Board's representative to the ICC. Hailing from Rawalpindi, Mani moved to the UK after completing his graduation from Lahore. His financial background attracted the PCB, and his meteoric ascent since to the upper echelons of cricket administration has gone almost unnoticed.

His reputation as a chartered accountant and accepted financial czar helped his election to the ICC presidency. His determination to succeed can be evinced in the number of ICC committees and projects he has been involved in. He worked on the Chairman's Advisory Committee, set up to advise Lord Cowdrey and Sir Clyde Walcott during their tenures. His paper on the sharing of World Cup revenues had a major impact on the financial arrangements of the ICC and its members. He played a key role in the organisation of the 1996 World Cup, and has also served on the Asian Cricket Council.

Mani negotiated the sale of the media rights of the ICC during his time as Director of the ICC Finance and Marketing Committee. His stint as director from '96 until his elevation to vice-president and president-elect in July 2002, was as influential as Dalmiya's in bringing money into the game. One thing he does share with his Asian predecessor, with whom he is close, is political cunning, drive and ambition.

He thinks first as an accountant and it is this trait defined his tenure. A committed expansionist, he looked as far as the US, where he eyed a potentially lucrative market but that ambition was thwarted by the USA board's inability to run the game. He did, however, oversee expansion in other areas and left the ICC in 2006 in a better state for his involvement.
Osman Samiuddin