ICC defers vote on rotational presidency rule

Dubai: The International Cricket Council Executive Board has decided to celebrate the upcoming India-England Test at Lord's, starting on July 21, as the 2,000th in the history of the game.

Announcing the decision in Hong Kong, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "We are planning to mark the occasion by celebrating this fantastic milestone.

"Test cricket is the pinnacle format of our game and I am confident that this series will confirm this enduring format in front of full houses."

In the same meeting it was also decided that the decision over a proposed amendment of its constitution to abolish the rotational policy in appointing a new president will be deferred until October.

Hence Pakistan and Bangladesh, who were supposed to nominate the next candidate for the post, will not do so until the executive board meets again.

A successor for New Zealand's Alan Isaac is due to be picked by June 2012.

In the next 12 months the world body will either have to push through the amendment or continue the rotational policy, which would mean a candidate from Pakistan or Bangladesh becoming the next president in 2014.

Lorgat said: "I wholeheartedly welcome an independent review of the entire ICC governance and regard this as a major step to meet stakeholder expectations and the high standards of a world-class organisation."

Meanwhile, ICC agreed to a request from the PCB to consider hosting an ICC event in Pakistan in 2018. However, no assurances were given.

Match-ready

Following a recommendation from the Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee, the board also decided to put a rule in place requiring any venue to be match-ready six months before any ICC event.

This was in response to the problems at Eden Gardens during the World Cup, which saw matches having to be moved at the last minute.

The directors also noted the appointment of forensic auditors to review ticketing during the World Cup, following allegations of black marketeering.