ICC panel okays Lorgat's appointment

The ICC's high-profile recruitment committee has cleared the appointment of Haroon Lorgat, the former convenor of Cricket South Africa's (CSA) selection committee, as its new chief executive, Cricinfo has learnt. ICC officials are now contacting the directors of its board for the final clearance - a two-thirds majority vote from the board is needed.

An official announcement is expected within the next 48 hours."As soon as at least seven out of the 10 directors inform the ICC that they agree to the appointment, it will be officially announced. This could happen in the next 48 hours," the sources said.

Lorgat had on Wednesday accepted an official offer from David Morgan, ICC's president-elect, during a meeting between the two in Cape Town. Morgan had met Lorgat on behalf of the recruitment committee, which also comprises Ray Mali, the ICC president, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president and Morgan's successor, and Creagh O' Connor, the chairman of Cricket Australia.

Once cleared, Lorgat will take over from Malcolm Speed, who steps down from the position after this year's ICC annual conference, which will take place between June 29 and July 4.

The ICC had initiated a fresh recruitment process for the job after Imtiaz Patel, who had been offered the post, declared on Sunday that he had withdrawn interest.