'I'll decide in coming weeks' - Patel
A day after the ICC announced it had picked him as chief executive, Imtiaz Patel indicated it was not a done deal and he would decide 'in the coming weeks'
Cricinfo staff
18-Mar-2008
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Imtiaz Patel, who has been offered the position of ICC chief executive, indicated on Tuesday that he is yet to accept the offer, made on Monday, and said he will consider his position "very carefully in the coming weeks." A statement from him was released on the SuperSport website, shortly after its spokesman told Cricinfo the deal had not been finalised and Patel was weighing his options.
In his carefully-worded statement, Patel said he was "humbled the ICC has stated that it will invite me to fulfill such an important role within cricket."
"I enjoy a most rewarding and happy career in my current role as CEO of SuperSport, which is a dynamic organisation within a wonderful international group. I will therefore be considering my position very carefully during the coming weeks and will be engaging in discussions with the ICC during this period."
Patel said that he would comment further on the issue only after finalising his plans to protect the "interests of the confidentiality of all candidates."
His colleague Guy Hawthorne, the Supersport spokesperson, confirmed that Patel was still weighing his options.
"He has been offered the chief executive's job by ICC, but he hasn't agreed yet," Hawthorne told Cricinfo. "The terms between ICC and Patel have not been agreed upon yet, and nothing has been finalised. Patel is still weighing his options."
"We hope he will stay back with us and we will try our best to ensure that he does. Of course, this is Patel's personal decision and it's between him and the ICC. But as of now, at Supersport, it's business as usual, and Patel remains the chief executive," Hawthorne said.
On Monday, ICC president-elect David Morgan said in Dubai that they were in the process of "negotiating the details with Patel before he can be officially appointed" to replace Malcolm Speed, who has been the chief executive since 2001.
Patel's name was recommended to the ICC executive board for a three-year term starting June by a sub-committee comprising Ray Mali, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, Creagh O'Connor, the Cricket Australia chairman, and Morgan, with Dr Nasim Ashraf, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, present as a non-voting observer.