Dainty re-elected as USACA president

In a result which won't exactly boost the the profile of US cricket internationally, Gladstone Dainty has been re-elected as president of the USA Cricket Association by three votes.

Dainty, who has overseen the almost catastrophic implosion of the USACA in recent years and under whose tenure the association was suspended from international cricket by the ICC, polled 18 of the 34 votes cast. Ram Varadarajan, who was widely expected to beat Dainty after running a slick campaign, polled 15 votes while Kamran Khan got 1.

It was not all good news for Dainty. Selwyn Ceasar, the much-criticised treasurer, was defeated by Varadarajan's running mate John Thickett by 18 votes to 16 while John Aaron beat Paul De Silva.

Nabeel Ahmed won the vote to be first vice-president by a large margin while Manaf Mohamed saw off Suresh Anne and Jefroy Morrishaw in the vote for the second vice-president.

The news will almost inevitably lead to claims that the ballot was not conducted fairly, but once the dust settles, the fact that Dainty has lost two of his closest allies will mean that his new board will have to be far more accountable that it has been in recent years when it has operated in almost complete secrecy. The presence of Aaron and Thickett could be enough to paper over the cracks which have ripped the USACA asunder.

It remains to be seen whether the investors and others boards who have been waiting on the sidelines, many of who have expressed reservations about dealing with Dainty, will now came forward.