Mumbai: ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat has informed the ICC Nominations Committee, chaired by ICC President Sharad Pawar that he will not seek to renew his term of office which expires on 30 June 2012.

Lorgat became the ICC CEO in June 2008 and will have led the ICC for a period of four years by the time he steps down after the 2012 ICC Annual Conference scheduled in Kuala Lumpur.

Last year, Pawar had offered Lorgat a three-year extension to his initial three-year term which ended in June 2011. Instead Lorgat had agreed only for a one-year extension to the end of June 2012.

"My sense is to step aside after having delivered a successful ICC Cricket World Cup and the new global ICC strategy which is now in place. In 2010, I felt there was much work for me to complete during 2011 which included protecting the integrity of the game and restoring the reputation and image of the ICC. Having dealt decisively with the spot-fixing issues, delivered a highly successful ICC Cricket World Cup and adopted a new global strategy, I feel the time is right to move on," Lorgat said.

"I am hopeful that the independent governance review currently in progress and due to be published after the next Board meeting would find acceptable outcomes and thereby leave a legacy for future generations.

"Although disappointed that the Test World Championship will not be played in 2013, I am confident that with the strategic restructures we have undertaken, all three formats can be sustained at international level," he added.

He added that overall he feel satisfied with having successfully led the ICC through some difficult issues. "I am especially grateful to have worked with our exceptional broadcast and commercial partners and the fantastic people who work at the ICC. I wish to thank each and every one of my staff for supporting me so loyally and ably. Their contributions are enormous in the face of many difficult challenges."

The ICC Nominations Committee has decided to engage an executive recruitment agency to advertise and identify a successor to Lorgat. The recruitment process will be managed by the ICC VP Alan Isaac, and will begin soon.

Isaac said, "I have been asked by the ICC Nominations Committee to manage the process. From a personal point of view I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to work with Haroon during my term as ICC president. He has been exemplary in the way he has led the organisation and deserves credit for his ethical leadership of the ICC."

Pawar added, "During his time at the ICC, Lorgat has steered the ICC through some tricky situations, such as the rescheduling of the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy, the location of the ICC Headquarters in Dubai, the response to the Lahore attack, several doping issues, the recent spot-fixing hearings and the highly successful ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"I am satisfied that his contribution to the ICC and to cricket leaves us in a solid position. The game owes Lorgat a debt of gratitude for his good leadership and while we are sad at his departure we understand fully the reasons and wish him well in the future."

MUMBAI: The chairman of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Local Organising Committee, James Strong, announced appointment of John Harnden as CEO of the Local Organising Committee for the event.

The 2015 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Harnden is currently South Australian Cricket Association CEO. He was formerly Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games CEO, Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO and Village Roadshow International Theme Parks CEO.

Strong said that Harnden had built a reputation over many years for delivering large scale international events and projects on time, on budget and to world?s best standard. "Coupled with his current role in cricket administration, this made John the perfect candidate for the job of chief executive. John is known and admired around the world for his strategic thinking, the personal commitment he brings to every task, his ability to build and lead outstanding teams and his willingness to work collaboratively with everyone involved in a project," Strong said.

Harnden said he was looking forward to starting work on the tournament. "Cricket is a passion for me from a personal and a professional perspective. I am delighted to be a part of the 2015 Cricket World Cup and look forward to working with James Strong and the rest of the Board as well as everyone at New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia. We will make this a real partnership across the Tasman," he said.

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) and Pakistan Television (PTV) jointly bid and bagged the four-year telecast rights to the International Cricket Council (ICC) events for the Pakistan territory, a top official said.

The rights through 2015 will include the ODI World Cup, the Twenty20 World Cup and other ICC events.

"We jointly bid for the ICC rights with PTV for the Pakistan territory. We were awarded the rights by ESPN Star Sports," said Ten Sports chief executive officer Atul Pande, while refusing to disclose the financial terms of the deal. 

ESPN Star Sports has the global rights for the ICC events from 2007-2015.

"While PTV will have the terrestrial rights, we will keep the cable and satellite rights," Pande said.

Ten Sports has a long relationship with PTV and has been syndicating its properties to PTV for terrestrial telecast.

"We have a partnership with PTV to build Pakistani cricket. We, for instance, will be syndicating the rights for Pakistan-Zimbabwe and Pakistan-Sri Lanka cricket series to PTV for terrestrial telecast. We also jointly bid for the ICC property as part of our deepening relationship with PTV," Pande said.

MUMBAI: The International cricket Council (ICC) executive board has confirmed their preference to host an ICC Test Championship in 2013.

But at the same time it has recognised the significant commercial challenge in trying to replace the Champions Trophy. Without the support and consent of their broadcast partner ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the Members and the development of the game would be significant.

The ICC Executive Board held its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year at the ICC headquarters in Dubai yesterday.

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said, ?It would be unfortunate if the Test Championship is delayed to 2017 but the board needs to balance several objectives."

Lorgat has also been quoted in media reports saying that a
championship format in which India might miss out on taking part was also a consideration for the executive board. India is in third spot in the Test rankings, having lost the top spot after the thrashing in England.

The ICC will need to have a meeting with ESS before taking a decision.

Meanwhile, in accordance with the current constitutional requirements.