Asian bloc to field Pawar for ICC presidency

The powerful Asian bloc is set to nominate Sharad Pawar, the Indian board' chief, for the ICC presidency, a top BCCI official said on Wednesday. At its annual meeting in July next year, the ICC will vote on a successor to Percy Sonn of South Africa for a two-year period from 2008 .

"It has been decided that Sharad Pawar will be our candidate," Niranjan Shah, the Indian board secretary, said. "Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are in favour of Pawar and we hope to elicit the support of the West Indies too." Nominations for the elections will close on January 1, 2007 at the ICC's headquarters in Dubai.

David Morgan, the English Cricket Board chairman, is also reportedly in contention following backing from Australia and New Zealand.

Pawar, 66, is a powerful politician who is also the federal agriculture minister. The decision to support Pawar was taken at a meeting of officials from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in New Delhi last week to finalise plans for the 2011 World Cup, which the four countries will be co-hosting.