Imran Khwaja loses as Palani, Usmani, Rudi elected to the ICC Board

Gurumurthy Palani (France), Mubashir Usmani (UAE) and Rudie van Vuuren (Namibia) have been elected as Associate Member Directors of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The election, which threw a massive upset, was held in Edinburgh as part of the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The biggest surprise of the election was the defeat of Imran Khwaja, the long-serving Associate Members' Director and the current ICC Deputy Chair. Khwaja finished fourth in the voting. Gurumurthy Palani topped the poll with 35 votes, while Mubashir Usmani and Rudie van Vuuren secured 26 votes each. Khwaja finished a close fourth with 23 votes.

While Palani and Rudie van Vuuren will be first-time ICC Board members, Usmani has retained his position. He has served as an Associate Member Director on the ICC Board for the past two years.

It was a biennial election in which five candidates were in the fray, the fifth being Mahinda Vallipuram (Malaysia). The three winners will serve a two-year term on the all-powerful ICC Board. Usmani, Khwaja and Vallipuram were the incumbent Associate Member Directors.

As per ICC rules, 45 Associate Members are eligible to participate in the election. However, only 43 were eligible to vote this time as USA Cricket and Cricket Canada remain under suspension. With each voting member entitled to cast three votes, a total of 129 votes were available. Vallipuram polled 19 votes.

"I congratulate Gurumurthy Palani, Mubashshir Usmani and Dr Rudie van Vuuren on their election as Associate Member Directors to the ICC Board. Associate Members play a vital role in the continued growth and global expansion of our sport, and I look forward to working closely with them as we build on the strong progress being made across all regions," Jay Shah said after the results were announced..

Khwaja's defeat comes as a surprise, considering the stature he has attained in the ICC. The veteran administrator from Singapore rose to a position few Associate representatives could have imagined. Besides being the current Deputy Chair, he briefly served as acting ICC Chair in 2020 following the resignation of Shashank Manohar.

Khwaja has, of course, been a long-standing representative of the Associate Members on the ICC Board. He has also served as Deputy Chair under ICC Chairmen N Srinivasan, Manohar, Greg Barclay and the current chairman, Jay Shah.

With Khwaja out, the ICC will have to elect a new Deputy chairman and one of the three elected today will be the likely choice of the ICC members. This should be known by the end of the Edinburgh conclave which concludes on July 11.

"I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Imran Khwaja and Mahinda Vallipuram for their dedication and service to Associate cricket. Their contribution to the ICC and to the development of the global game over many years has been significant and deeply valued. Together, we remain committed to strengthening opportunities for all Members and ensuring cricket continues to grow in every corner of the world," Shah added.

With Palani moving to the Board, a vacancy has arisen on the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC), where he has served for the past year. The ICC will now have to conduct an election to fill the vacant position, with the successful candidate serving the remainder of the one-year term.

CC Associate Member Directors Election

Gurumurthy Palani: 35 votes

Mubashir Usmani: 26 votes

Rudie van Vuuren: 26 votes

Imran Khwaja: 23 votes

Mahinda Vallipuram: 19 votes

*Top 3 elected for two years

*Total votes 129 from 43 nations